😳 Florentino Pérez hits out at Uefa, LaLiga and Barcelona in fiery speech | OneFootball

The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, stirred controversy in a speech at the club's Assembly of Members, which took place this Sunday (23).

Pérez FIRED without hesitation against UEFA, LaLiga, and rival Barcelona. 

When speaking about the Catalans, the president recalled the "Negreira case," a Spanish football scandal involving Barcelona, which is accused of making payments to the former Spanish refereeing director José María Enríquez Negreira over 17 years.

"The level of Spanish refereeing is not normal. It's a shame that FIFA did not select any Spanish field referee for the Club World Cup. And, of course, it's not normal that Barcelona paid the vice-president of referees more than 8 million euros for at least 17 years. Whatever the reason. To the refereeing vice-president, who had important functions. A period that coincidentally matches Barcelona's best results in our country," he stated.

It is worth mentioning that Barcelona continues to face accusations of sports corruption, fraud, and mismanagement in 2025 due to this case. The investigation remains active, with testimonies, demands for documents, and new lines of inquiry.

The club and several figures from the past have been called to testify, including former presidents like Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as former president Joan Gaspart.

Criticism of UEFA

Florentino also directed his criticisms at UEFA, for preventing teams from organizing their own tournaments, forcing clubs to compete in formats that, according to Pérez, "harm the fans."

The president also mentioned that teams are "pressured to play matches in Asia, near China," because their executives "must answer to their voters." In other words, the actions aim to serve only their (UEFA's) own internal interests.

"It is not normal for UEFA to try to direct our destiny and for us to have to play in competition formats that harm the fans. But keep in mind that their executives must answer to their voters. That is why we are forced to play matches in Asia, near China," he cited.

And La Liga

Not even Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga, was left out of the spotlight.

Pérez criticized the fact that Tebas considered taking a La Liga game, which would be Barcelona vs. Villarreal, to be played in Miami.

The match in question was scheduled for December 20, for the 17th round of the Spanish Championship, but was canceled. This happened shortly after protests against such a change, especially from the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE).

Furthermore, he mentioned as "uncommon practice" the fact that both clubs had access to additional financial incentives for playing in Miami.

"It is not normal for the president of La Liga to want to impose a game in Miami on us, something that not even Barcelona's captain, De Jong, considers normal. And it is not normal for LaLiga to support that two teams, Barcelona and Villarreal, receive financial incentives to play in Miami. And then we have to hear Tebas compare this failed attempt with the NFL, which was legal and according to the competition rules and had the full support of everyone. It is not the same thing, it didn't even have UEFA's support. It is nothing but a failed bet," he concluded.

So, how do you evaluate Florentino Pérez's criticisms? Did the man exaggerate? Leave your comment!

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

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