Pérez: I will not leave until the members decide, and I will face the media conspiracy against Real Madrid

Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, delivered a series of extensive statements during a press conference that witnessed an attack on the media, discussions about the Negreira case, the upcoming elections, and the situation within the club, affirming his continuation in his position.

Pérez said: 'I have asked the electoral committee to start the process to initiate the board elections for which we, this administrative council, will run.'

The Real Madrid president addressed the controversy surrounding the club and the media, saying: 'In Real Madrid, there is no single owner; the members form the club. I have made this decision because an absurd situation has been created resulting from campaigns against Real Madrid's interests and against me. The results were not the best, but in sports, you don't always win. They exploit the situation to attack me personally, asking where Florentino is? If I usually don't speak. Some told me I had terminal cancer; I take this opportunity to let those who cared about me know that I am still presiding over Real Madrid and my company, and that my health is excellent. I couldn't be in both places if my health wasn't excellent. If I had cancer as was said, I would have had to go to a specialized center. If I went, wouldn't it appear everywhere in the world?'.

Pérez added, criticizing what is being circulated in the media: 'ABC newspaper loves me very much; before the conference, they said I said: I'm very tired. But, do you think I say this before entering? David Sanchez de Castro, are you here? To greet him, to see why he publishes this, I wake up early in the morning and am the last to sleep, I always work.'

Regarding the team's results and his career, Pérez said: 'I share the frustration because this year we couldn't win anything, but I must tell them and prove to them that with me as president, we won 66 titles in football and basketball, including seven European Cups in football. I want to speak to those behind this campaign, who move in the shadows, let them run for elections, now they have the opportunity to do so, I will run to defend Real Madrid's interests.'

Regarding the media, he clarified: 'I advanced in Real Madrid for it to be governed by its members, journalists think they say something and people believe them, people believe me. Some journalists think they interfere in the club's elections because they are very important. Do you remember José María García? I started with him. Here in Real Madrid, it is governed by the members as long as I am present. Whoever wants to run, let them run. But not to speak behind my back and say I look tired, it would be because I work a lot, I must go out to stop this, I cannot accept that there are people in the media who have taken over the situation. Less than two years ago, I won the league title and the Champions League, and now Real Madrid is ruin and chaos.. But, how can it be chaos?'.

Addressing the Negreira case, he said: 'Three years ago, we discovered we were facing a corruption case like the Negreira case, which is the biggest scandal in history. It is incomprehensible that we still see referees from that era in our league, we are preparing an important file that we will immediately present to UEFA.'

He continued his talk about what he described as a campaign against the club, saying: 'ABC is affiliated with the Vocento group, they created Relevo, they knew what it was, right? In coordination with La Liga, they created a digital newspaper, and to summarize, they lost 25 million during its existence, and when La Liga stopped paying, they went to Telefonica and Telecinco to see if they would pay, their sole aim was to attack Real Madrid and its president. I apologize, because my father used to read ABC and I subscribed to it for many years, but now I have decided that I will cancel my subscription to ABC in honor of my father, who will thank me for that. How can ABC do that? No one was buying it, and it caused a split there. I hereby announce that I will cancel my subscription to ABC, I honor my father better if I cancel.'

During his talk, Pérez engaged in a discussion with journalist Rubén Cañizares from ABC, adding: 'Look at these two articles written today, by a woman I don't know if she understands football or not,' and returned to engage in a discussion with Rubén Cañizares.

Regarding Real Madrid's value and the criticisms directed at it, he pointed out: 'Real Madrid is the strongest and most valuable brand in the world, the club with the greatest reputation in the world, why do journalists want to interfere in the club with the most prestige, the highest value, and the most following in the world? It belongs to everyone. And the most expensive squad in the world, I am ashamed to say they chose me the best president in history, there are children who want to run, let them run.'

Pérez continued his talk about the situation inside the club and what he described as campaigns targeting him and the club, along with various sports and administrative files, saying: 'I run a very important company in the world, generating many millions, and I have 170 thousand workers, I would be tired of going from place to place, but not from football, that I am tired is what the gentleman just said, which surprises me, but why does ABC say that... did they see me tired? We held a board meeting, and from tomorrow I will start fighting with the members, where did it come from that I have cancer, and that friends called me saying it is in the final stage, and I know nothing about that, if they want me to leave, I will leave when someone comes and defeats me in the elections, I will always run, and I assume the journalists will be from Atlético or something like that.'

Pérez added about ABC newspaper: 'There are people who want to take the club's ownership from the members, and I will defend them in this campaign that we will carry out as soon as the elections are called now, they say I am tired, I don't know if the gentleman knows something, but ABC is a newspaper from Madrid and Real Madrid is a club for the world.'

Regarding the Negreira case and the Super League, he said: 'We are preparing a 600-page file that I will send to UEFA, there is no precedent in world football, the head of the referees committee says we should forget about it, but how can we forget, we won in the Super League, we won in the European Court of Justice and went to UEFA to say we will negotiate, for example, free football, for children in Africa to watch football for free, and this is not in Real Madrid's interest, but in football's interest.'

He continued regarding what he described as attempts to control the club: 'There are parties that tried to take over the club, they say in the world that Real Madrid is in chaos, then there are the ultras, who gather in the amber movement or something like that, and they will not enter again, I receive congratulations from all over the world for getting the ultras and the violent out, and I have the support of the members who want normal people, and there are also the sellers in the market, we expelled 1600 members for selling subscriptions, how can a member make money by cheating in Real Madrid, and of course our permanent enemy is La Liga.'

Regarding the cost of Santiago Bernabéu stadium, he explained: 'The first contract for the Bernabéu was the roof and cost 600 million, then the hypogeum which cost almost 400 million, and the third contract was the deco and seats, and to cause damage they say the cost started at 600 and ended at 1300, but when you build a house you do things and pay, then do other things and pay.'

He confirmed: 'We have won 66 titles between football and basketball, the whole world does not understand what is happening, I will not leave, I will be the last member to leave, the owners of Real Madrid are the members, and if someone wants to run for elections, let them not just hint but actually run, and provide guarantees as I did in 2000 more than 170 million to pay salaries, I want to end this anti-Real Madrid wave that has appeared, we will announce the elections, and I must do this to defend the members, there are those who want to take over Real Madrid, which we have made the biggest club in the world.'

Regarding his media silence, he clarified: 'I do not speak, when we win the league we celebrate, but I am not the hero, I do not speak, nor in my company either, I am not one who likes to appear, but why should I speak? Because we finished the league in second place? I don't speak even when we win, the players are the heroes, but it hasn't been two years since we won the Champions League and the league, do you believe this campaign? Today I came out to defend myself and announced the elections and said Real Madrid belongs to the members.'

He added: 'No one has won seven European Cups, no one.'

Regarding the difficult season, he said: 'I said that in one year I fired three coaches, and this is not the first time this happens, and not the first time two players fight, this happens every season, the problem is that someone talked about it for the first time, and we know who said that.'

In his assessment of his role, he said: 'The member, is the owner, tells me every day that I must defend Real Madrid against all of you, and I will run with renewed enthusiasm, and when I win the elections I will do that, I made this intervention to complain about what is happening with the press.'

Regarding the Negreira case and UEFA, he clarified: 'Real Madrid members are with me in my battle against Negreira and others, it's not always Real Madrid that is harmed, but other clubs, Barcelona always benefits, UEFA must act, and it will act, there cannot be a suspicion of corruption paid for over 20 years, and we will see what will happen judicially and sportingly, I did not come for referees to benefit from Barcelona's money.'

He added about the media: 'The problem is not with you, but with someone from Relevo who caused a 25 million loss, we always ask La Liga about the money paid to attack Real Madrid, if Real Madrid is the biggest, I want children to see football for free, and I will achieve that soon.'

Regarding sports analysis, he said: 'We will conduct an analysis, and we have to fight many, tell Juanma Castaño if you are from Cadena COPE, he talks all day, there must be respect for the biggest club in history.'

Regarding the coach and players, he emphasized: 'I will not talk about coaches or players, I am running to return ownership to the members, it is being taken from them as I see daily, I will not leave, but I run because I want Real Madrid to remain owned by its members, when I ran 26 years ago I had to pay money to those who did not get their salaries and defend the institution.'

Regarding the leak of a clash between Valverde and Tchouameni, he said: 'This is very bad, and the worst is that they leaked it to the media, I have not seen in any year in 26 years that players or four fight, but this remains inside the club, whoever leaked that because he is not satisfied and thinks he will leave the club, they kick each other and then become friends, this image of chaos that some try to convey I will not allow, the leak is worse, I think it is the first time I see it in 26 years as president.'

In his talk about his previous relationship with Barcelona, he said: 'That was a long time ago, and we only recently learned about the Negreira case, we could not imagine that the head of the referees committee was distributing money from Barcelona for two decades, this issue appeared late, and since then we are preparing a file and we will go to the end, it is the biggest corruption case in football history, and for football, no one in the world can imagine paying money to referees, this is unacceptable.'

He continued: 'Do not say that a fight between players makes Real Madrid in chaos, this happened every year, and players fight every day, and it ends there, and if someone inside the club leaked that outside, this is worse than the fight itself, these are great players, and I have been dealing with that for 26 years and nothing happened.'

Regarding his state with the media and excitement, he added: 'I see what the media does, who think they invented football, we call them the intellectuals of the system, we are the best team in the world, why should I endure them saying Real Madrid is in chaos? And whoever wants to run, let them run, I have enough money to preside over the club without any strange matters.'

In comparison with other clubs, he said: 'And I also want to deliver the club's properties to the members as I said, they are their property, I am not from the clubs that kept the club and then sold it and became rich, I am elected by the members, not by the ultras.'

Regarding the reason for calling the elections, he explained: 'I call for these elections so that everyone knows they are open to everyone, and they advance as I did, I do not hold conferences, nor do I go to places to appear.'

He added: 'There is a conspiracy from journalists who think they run Real Madrid, and they have made a ploy to attack the club, they even said we are bankrupt, the stadium cost what any stadium costs.'

Pérez said: 'It is a big club, and Real Madrid members should not criticize their players or whistle at them, this is like a family if the children make a mistake in something they should be supported, but in Real Madrid there are things, since we got the ultras out they want to get us out, as well as those who resell tickets, we work with the police to control the ultras, and they will not enter the stadium, everyone in the world congratulates me because the ultras do not enter the stadium, and it pains me that a player is whistled at because of a bad shot, but is this a Roman circus or what?'.

Pérez continued: 'The enemies from within leave them to me, I deal with them, but the external enemies I must complain about them, journalists, when the player does not give them his mobile phone they attack him, journalists have no authority because people are very smart, if I were a newspaper publisher I would not allow this, the newspaper's reputation is to tell the truth.'

Pérez concluded his statements by saying: 'I will continue to attend, not for me but for all the members, the idea that these intellectuals of the system sit and philosophize about Real Madrid, no, it does not bother me that this kind of dialogue happens again, there is an identification of Real Madrid's enemies in the media, when we play badly let them say we played badly, but Florentino will not leave until the members want that, whoever wants to run let them run and say they will do better, that's what I did before.'