Rabat – Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and FC Barcelona have been formally summoned to appear in a Madrid court for a conciliation hearing this November.
The hearing follows legal action filed by Barcelona over public comments Perez made during a press conference last May.
According to Marca, the proceedings are scheduled for November 25 at 9:40 a.m. in courtroom 1/2 of the Madrid judicial complex.
Barcelona is demanding a full public retraction from Perez during the session.
Should the Real Madrid president fail to attend or refuse to withdraw his comments, Barcelona stated it will file a formal criminal complaint.
The May press conference and legal action
Barcelona’s legal action centers on controversial claims delivered by Perez while addressing media members in May.
While discussing ongoing refereeing and his club’s domestic record, the Real Madrid chief made direct accusations.
“I’ve been here I don’t know how many seasons and I’ve only won seven Champions Leagues and seven Leagues, which could have been 14 because 7 Leagues were stolen from me,” Perez said.
“The corruption in the Negreira case is systemic. It’s the biggest scandal in history,” he added.
Perez expanded on his criticism of Spanish refereeing during the same address, alleging that officiating decisions in La Liga consistently favor Barcelona over other clubs.
“Real Madrid doesn’t always suffer; other teams do. Barcelona always benefits,” the Real Madrid president said.
Days later, FC Barcelona vice-president Rafael Yuste rejected the allegations, accusing the Real Madrid president of attempting to undermine the club and promising swift legal action.
“He has resorted to slander to destabilize us. We will meet in court. No one will tarnish the name of Barça, this badge. We will take care of it ourselves. We will go after them because we have the upper hand,” Yuste responded.
In June, Barcelona officially confirmed legal action, stating it had filed a required pre-lawsuit request demanding that Perez retract his “false and defamatory” statements from May.
The club warned that if he refused to withdraw the remarks, it would proceed with a formal criminal complaint.
