El Clasico heads to court as Barcelona put Florentino Perez on the stand | OneFootball

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have spent decades fighting for supremacy on the pitch, but their rivalry is increasingly being shaped by what happens away from it.

The relationship between the two clubs has deteriorated sharply in recent years, with disputes over refereeing, the Negreira case and competing institutional interests adding another layer to an already combustible rivalry. Now, that tension is set to move formally into the courtroom.

According to MARCA, Barcelona and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez have been summoned to a conciliation hearing in Madrid on November 25 over comments made by Perez earlier this year. Barcelona are seeking a retraction over statements they believe damaged the club’s image and reputation. Perez publicly described the Negreira affair as systemic corruption and also claimed that Real Madrid had been deprived of several league titles during his presidency.

No quarter given by Barcelona

Those remarks proved to be a breaking point and Barcelona had already indicated that their legal department was studying possible action after Perez’s comments in May. The club later moved ahead with a formal conciliation request, a procedural step that could precede a criminal complaint for alleged slander under Spanish law.

The upcoming hearing therefore carries considerable weight and if Perez retracts the disputed remarks, the confrontation could end there. If he refuses, or does not appear, Barcelona could choose to escalate the matter further through criminal proceedings.

For Barca, this is about more than one press conference as the club has repeatedly rejected suggestions that its historical success should be viewed through the prism of the Negreira investigation, while Real Madrid have continued to press the issue publicly and institutionally.

The result is a rivalry that now extends far beyond league tables and Clasico nights and that is what makes November 25 significant. Barcelona and Real Madrid may still meet for trophies this season, but their next major confrontation will not involve a ball at all but rather lawyers, a courtroom and a dispute neither side currently appears willing to abandon.