Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez has gone on the attack again in a Christmas message which he has used to criticise referees and Barcelona.
The 78-year-old spoke at a Christmas lunch with the press and used the opportunity to once again talk about the Negreira case which he described as the ‘biggest scandal in football.’
“Real Madrid’s biggest concern is the refereeing situation. As you well know, the extremely serious situation that occurred with the ‘Negreira case’ for almost two decades deserves justice. It is completely incomprehensible that the institutions have left Real Madrid alone in this fight,” he said, per Marca.
“How is it possible that the president of the referees asks us to forget it? How can we forget the biggest scandal in the history of football? How can the RFEF and LaLiga behave this way? They have a duty to ensure integrity.
“The Negreira case is the most serious case in football today. We know that more than 8 million euros were paid for referee reports. And to top it off, the coaches never even received them. Who can believe that money was paid for these reports when the coaches weren’t even aware of their existence? It highlights the need for radical change.”
Perez also continued Real Madrid’s attack on La Liga referees, an almost constant this season, and highlighted some decisions from last night’s narrow win over Alaves.
“Yesterday we had a referee who threatened to take action against our club on the eve of the Cup final. And it seems the fouls suffered by Vinicius and Rodrygo weren’t penalties. That’s the latest in a long line of decisions this season,” he added.
“It’s possible that some clubs have been relegated as a result of the Negreira case. Our football has been damaged, and justice must be served. Don’t forget that the investigating judge in the case described it as systemic corruption. And Barça admitted that these payments were made because they were advantageous. Why? What was the purpose? Real Madrid will continue to press the issue, and you in the media play a crucial role.”
Real Madrid’s win leaves the team still four points behind Barcelona in the title race ahead of the final round of fixtures in 2025 next weekend.
