Barcelona Officially Threatens Pérez with Lawsuit

Barcelona has announced its first legal action against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. The move comes in response to Pérez's repeated accusations against the Catalan club regarding the 'Negreira case.' The Spanish champions confirmed they offered their arch-rival's boss an opportunity for reconciliation, but if rejected, the club will file a lawsuit against him for defamation.

"Barcelona announces that today a mandatory request for reconciliation was sent, preceding the filing of a complaint under Article 205 of the Penal Code for defamation by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. This stems from statements he made during a press conference on May 12th and an interview given to a media outlet the following day. The purpose of this request is for Mr. Pérez to retract certain statements he made, knowing them to be false, which are defamatory and damaging to the club's image and reputation. If this request is not honored, Barcelona will proceed with filing the appropriate criminal complaint," the club's statement read.