👊The issue is Cox Group: Riquelme's first swipe at Florentino | OneFootball

The election campaign at Real Madrid has intensified after June 7 was officially set as the date for the vote. Opposition candidate Enrique Riquelme launched his harshest attack yet on Florentino Pérez’s management, directly targeting one of the most influential and controversial figures in the president’s circle: Franco-Moroccan banker Anas Laghrari.

The controversial power behind the scenes

In an exclusive interview with the international outlet The Athletic, the president of Grupo Cox openly questioned the legitimacy and excessive control Laghrari exerts within the club despite holding no formal role.

"Why is there a person with so much power next to the president who holds no official position and is also involved in most of the club’s operations?" Riquelme complained.

The presidential hopeful criticized the fact that key projects such as the Super League and plans for corporate restructuring are in the hands of someone who, in his words, "became a member by bypassing every possible waiting list."

The privatization and spending of Real Madrid TV

The businessman from Alicante insisted that Florentino Pérez’s proposal to modify the financial statutes is an unjustified strategy to take control away from the members. Riquelme flatly denied that the club is in such a precarious financial situation that it would require outside capital.

As a counterproposal, he promised an austerity plan that could directly reduce Real Madrid’s operating costs by between 130 and 140 million euros per year. In that regard, he once again pointed to the inefficiencies of Real Madrid TV, whose multimillion-euro budgets "far exceed what would be considered normal" for its very low audience figures.

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

📸 PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU - AFP or licensors