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Rabat – Florentino Perez has changed his tone. At the latest Real Madrid Assembly, the club president spoke strongly about the Negreira case, moving away from the calm approach he showed a year earlier.
Perez on the Negreira case
A year ago, Perez told members, “I’m not going to get angry with Barça. Real Madrid and Barcelona have to help each other.”
That was then.
This time, his words were very different. Perez said: “It is not normal that Barcelona has paid the vice-president of the referees more than 8 million euros for at least 17 years, whatever the reason.”
He repeated the statement twice to stress how serious he believes it is. He reminded members that the Former Vice-President of Spain’s referees’ committee (CTA) José Maria Enriquez Negreira, had a key role in Spanish refereeing, deciding promotions and relegations of officials. “A period that coincides, coincidentally, with Barcelona’s best sporting results in our country,” Perez added.
The intervention showed a clear break from his earlier calls for cooperation. Perez now presents the Negreira affair as a question of integrity for Spanish football, not something to be overlooked.
To support his point, he presented statistics comparing expulsions. In 2021, Madrid had a net balance of two red cards, while Barcelona had 61. That’s a gap of 59. Yet in Europe, the numbers were almost identical: +12 for Barça and +13 for Madrid.
Pérez extended the comparison to Germany, noting Bayern and Dortmund had similar balances. “The balance of expulsions during Negreira’s time at Barcelona was +49 and Real Madrid’s was -1. Draw your conclusions,” he said.
The president then raised the stakes: “Real Madrid is the only one that has appeared in the trial. Four presidents have maintained millionaire payments for 17 years to the vice president of the referees.” He criticized Fran Soto, head of the CTA, for suggesting the case should be forgotten: “Who is going to forget it?”
🚨💣 Florentino Pérez: “It’s NOT normal for Barcelona to pay the vice-president of the referees more than €8m over 17 years, whatever the reason”.
“It coincides, coincidentally, with Barcelona’s best sporting period…”. pic.twitter.com/qlnamyHiZ4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 23, 2025
Perez insisted that many referees from that era remain active, which in his view, prevents neutrality.
He cited a recent incident to show the tension still exists. “How is it possible that, in the run-up to the Cup final, the referee of the match said that the referees were going to take action against our club? Before a Copa del Rey final? He should have been removed and no action was taken.”
Pérez also turned his criticism toward La Liga and its president, Javier Tebas. He recalled the attempt to stage a league match in Miami, which even Barcelona captain Frenkie de Jong opposed. “Not even their captain thinks it’s normal,” Pérez said. He condemned LaLiga for supporting Barcelona and Villarreal with extra financial incentives for playing abroad, while trying to compare the project to the NFL.
Background on the case
The Negreira case is one of Spanish football’s biggest scandals. Investigations revealed Barcelona paid Negreir and his companies millions between 2001 and 2018.
Prosecutors alleged corruption and possible influence on refereeing decisions. Barcelona denied wrongdoing, claiming the payments were for “technical reports.” Still, the controversy has cast doubt on refereeing integrity and deepened mistrust between Spain’s two biggest clubs.
Perez’s strong words showed that Real Madrid will not let the case be forgotten. He made it clear that the integrity of Spanish football is at risk.
The speech was a clear shift from his earlier calls for cooperation, turning the rivalry with Barcelona into a more confrontational one.
Read also : Barcelona Referee Scandal: Could UEFA Ban the Club Like Juventus
