"They'll have to force me out at gunpoint." That was Florentino Pérez on Tuesday — not backing down, not softening the message, and very much still in charge of Real Madrid.
The 79-year-old president used a press conference at Valdebebas to shut down resignation talk, announce new club elections, dismiss cancer rumors circulating in the Spanish media, and go after Barcelona all in one sitting. Even by his standards, it was a lot.
"I regret to tell you that I am not going to resign," he said at the top. "We are going to call elections, and this board and I will run again."
Health rumors, Negreira, and a president on the offensive
Pérez addressed the cancer speculation head-on: "They say I don't exist anymore, that I have terminal cancer. My health is perfect." He singled out Spanish newspaper ABC for reporting he was "tired" and weighing a step back. "If I look tired, it's because I work a lot."
Then came the Negreira case — the corruption investigation into payments Barcelona made to companies linked to former refereeing official José María Enríquez Negreira. Pérez called it "the biggest scandal in football history" and said Real Madrid would submit a dossier to UEFA. "It is inconceivable that three years later this still has not been resolved," he said. "You cannot have a club under suspicion for paying referees for 20 years."
He went further, claiming Real Madrid may have been robbed of titles through refereeing bias. "I've been here all these years and only won seven Champions Leagues and seven league titles. It could have been 14 because they were stolen from us." Bold claim. UEFA's response to that dossier will be worth watching — and it's the kind of institutional pressure that could shift the long-term competitive picture between Spain's two biggest clubs.
Valverde, Tchouaméni, and the leak that bothers him more than the fight
On the reported altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, Pérez was almost dismissive about the fight itself. "Players fight every year. Sometimes two players fight, sometimes four. Then the next day they go have coffee together."
What actually rattled him was the leak. "This is the first time in 26 years that I've seen something like this become public, and that worries me." A dressing room that leaks is a dressing room with fractures — and that's a bigger concern than any individual bust-up, especially for a squad that's come up trophy-less two seasons running.
He also took aim at fans who boo Real Madrid players: "What is this, the Roman circus?" And on José Mourinho potentially returning? "We are not at that stage. Today is not about football."
Pérez framed the elections as a defense of Real Madrid's member-owned model, warning of unnamed "sectors" looking to seize control of the club. "While I'm here, the members will remain in control." He challenged critics to run against him: "The people who say we are a dictatorship should present themselves."
Two trophyless seasons is genuine pressure for a club like Real Madrid. But Pérez leaves no doubt about his intentions — and anyone pricing in a leadership change at the Bernabéu anytime soon is working with the wrong information.
