Barcelona threaten legal action against Florentino Perez after Real Madrid chief’s ‘slanderous’ claim

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Barcelona has filed a legal complaint against Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, following his statements accusing clubs of financial wrongdoing within La Liga.

Last month, Florentino Pérez surprised everyone in the football world with a very unusual press conference. He clashed with reporters, stated his intention to stay in charge of Real Madrid, and criticized their biggest competitor, Barcelona.

Barcelona won the Spanish league title this season, but Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, alleges that Barca unfairly benefited from privileged information provided by a refereeing consultant, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. He claims this information was obtained improperly.

Barcelona are not happy with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez

The controversy surrounding Barcelona and former referee official José María Enríquez Negreira stretches back more than 17 years. Reports indicate that Negreira, while vice-president of the Spanish referees’ committee, allegedly provided Barcelona with information about match officials after receiving approximately €7 million (around $8.1 million) in payments.

So, Barcelona is really pushing back against all the stuff that’s been said about them. They’ve actually responded to Florentino Perez and are now threatening to sue him, claiming he’s been spreading false and damaging information about the club. It’s getting pretty heated!

FC Barcelona has officially announced it is taking legal action against Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, for defamation. The club has filed a formal complaint that precedes a potential lawsuit, stemming from statements Perez made during a press conference on May 12th and in a subsequent interview. They accuse him of slander, referencing Article 205 of the Penal Code.

This lawsuit aims to force Mr. Pérez to take back untrue statements he knowingly made about the Club, as these statements are damaging to its reputation.

If this request isn’t handled correctly, FC Barcelona will take legal action and file a criminal complaint.

Perez has also annoyed Atletico Madrid this week

Things haven’t gone well for Perez this week, as he’s also upset Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid made a $173 million offer for Atletico’s Julian Alvarez, but it was turned down. Real Madrid then issued a statement saying they still have a good relationship with Atletico despite the rejected bid.

Atlético Madrid also publicly responded, using Twitter (now X) to firmly state they wouldn’t entertain any offers for Alvarez. This effectively denied reports of a good working relationship with the interested club, and they even added a playful jab, saying they have more respect for Barcelona.

They responded by saying you might be mistaking politeness for thankfulness, but they want to be clear they aren’t grateful for anything you’ve done. They also confirmed they aren’t even considering any offers regarding Julian. They ended with a playful remark, saying you make them laugh just as much as FC Barcelona does.

Here’s a clarification regarding Real Madrid’s recent statement:

1. Their video of the Pope ended before he mentioned he supports Atlético Madrid as well.
2. While they may have interpreted our behavior as politeness, we want to be clear: we aren’t offering thanks…

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) June 9, 2026

Florentino Pérez intends to remain president of Real Madrid and has recently appointed José Mourinho as the new manager, signaling a fresh start for the club. However, the last week hasn’t been smooth sailing for the 79-year-old.

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2026-06-12 22:50