😳 Florentino Pérez hits out at Uefa, LaLiga and Barcelona in speech

The president of Real Madrid , Florentino Pérez, stirred controversy in a speech at the club’s Members’ Assembly, which took place this Sunday (23).

Pérez FIRED AWAY without mincing words at UEFA, LaLiga , and rivals Barcelona .

When speaking about the Catalans, the president recalled the "Negreira case," a Spanish football scandal involving Barcelona , who are accused of making payments to the former Spanish refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira for 17 years.

"The level of Spanish refereeing is not normal. It is a disgrace that FIFA did not select any Spanish field referee for the Club World Cup. And, of course, it is not normal that Barcelona paid the vice-president of referees more than 8 million euros for at least 17 years. Whatever the reason. To the refereeing vice-president, who had important functions. A period that coincides, coincidentally, with Barcelona’s best results in our country."

– Sunday, 23 November 2025

It’s worth noting that Barcelona continues to face accusations of sporting corruption, fraud, and mismanagement in 2025 because of this case. The investigation remains active, with testimonies, demands for documents, and new lines of inquiry.

The club and several figures from the past have been called to testify, including former presidents such as Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as former president Joan Gaspart.

Florentino also directed his criticism at UEFA for preventing teams from organizing their own tournaments, forcing clubs to compete in formats that, according to Pérez, "harm the fans."

The president also mentioned that teams are "pressured to play matches in Asia, near China," because their executives "owe explanations to their voters." In other words, these actions would only serve their own internal interests.

"It is not normal for UEFA to try to direct our destiny and for us to have to play in competition formats that harm the fans. But keep in mind that their executives must answer to their voters. That’s why we are forced to play matches in Asia, near China," he stated.

Not even Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga , escaped the spotlight.

Pérez criticized the fact that Tebas considered taking a La Liga match, which would have been Barcelona vs Villarreal, to be played in Miami.

The match in question was scheduled for December 20, for the 17th round of the Spanish Championship, but was canceled. This happened right after protests against such a change, mainly from the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE).

Additionally, he called it an "unusual practice" that both clubs would have access to additional financial incentives for playing in Miami.

"It is not normal for the president of La Liga to want to impose a match in Miami on us, something that not even Barcelona’s captain, De Jong, considers normal. And it is not normal for LaLiga to support both teams, Barcelona and Villarreal, receiving financial incentives to play in Miami. And then we have to listen to Tebas compare this failed attempt with the NFL, which was legal and in accordance with the competition rules and had the full support of everyone. It’s not the same thing, nor did it have UEFA’s support. It’s nothing more than a failed bet," he concluded.

So, what’s your take on Florentino Pérez’s criticism?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

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