13 May,2026 02:38 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Florentino Perez (Pic: AFP)
Real Madrid CF president Florentino Perez launched a scathing attack on referees following his side's defeat to arch-rivals FC Barcelona, which helped the Catalan club retain the La Liga title.
Real Madrid suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Barcelona as the Camp Nou celebrated the club's 29th league title. Barcelona moved 14 points clear at the top of the table with three matches remaining in the season.
Perez accuses referees of costing Madrid the title
Following the loss, Perez criticised officiating standards in La Liga and claimed referees had deprived Real Madrid of multiple league titles during his tenure as club president.
"I have won only seven La Liga titles with Real Madrid. I should have 14. They stole the other seven from me. The referees have stolen 18 points from us in La Liga," Perez said, as quoted by Goal.com.
Perez targets referees linked to Negreira era
Perez further alleged that referees associated with the Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira era continue to officiate matches in Spain despite the ongoing controversy surrounding Barcelona's alleged payments to the former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee.
"The same referees from the Negreira era are still in action. They're still officiating. That makes no sense. Barca paid for Negreira's services for two decades, and these referees are still active in the third decade," Perez added.
Real Madrid are set to finish a second consecutive season without winning a major trophy. Los Blancos were also eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals by FC Bayern Munich earlier this season.
Perez announces club election process
Perez, who first became Real Madrid president in 2000, also announced that he has asked the club's electoral board to begin the process for leadership elections.
"I have asked the electoral board to begin the process to start the elections for the board of directors, for which we, the Board of Directors, will be running. I am calling them so everyone knows they are open to everyone, and that they can run as I did," Perez said.
"I do not give lectures, I do not go where I have to be in the spotlight," he added.
(With ANI inputs)
