Spanish Referees Counter-Attack Florentino Pérez

Spanish football referees have voiced their outrage and taken action against the severe accusations made by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. The professional referees' union has filed a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee, requesting disciplinary proceedings be initiated against him. They insist the club and its leader issue a formal apology.

The 'Los Blancos' boss first scandalized officials during a press conference, and then in a subsequent interview with La Sexta television. In these appearances, he accused referees of “systemic corruption” and “stealing titles.” In response, the referees decided to pursue legal recourse.

Several of Pérez's statements crossed the line, sparking anger among officials due to their gravity. One such claim was about “stolen titles,” made during the press conference: “I've been here for many seasons and have won seven Champions Leagues and seven La Liga titles, because the others were stolen from me. Systemic corruption for two decades, and the referees are still the same.” In the La Sexta interview, he added: “The same referees continue to do the same things brazenly. This season, they stole 16 or 18 points from us.”

Another contentious claim concerned a document being prepared for UEFA: “We are preparing a 500-page dossier to present to UEFA. How can we forget it? This is the biggest corruption case in the history of football.”

Finally, one phrase caused particular indignation: “I didn't come here to watch referees get rich with Barcelona's money.”

The referees' union, established at the start of the season, decided to take retaliatory measures against Florentino Pérez and Real Madrid for their recent statements. The first step is referring the matter to the Disciplinary Committee. “These statements cannot be justified as a legitimate exercise of freedom of speech or sports criticism, as Mr. Pérez does not limit himself to pointing out specific refereeing errors, but attributes to the refereeing body the commission of a prolonged crime – corruption over two decades,” the union stated.

Regarding the requested measures, they emphasized: “The Disciplinary Committee should, as an urgent and precautionary measure, require Mr. Pérez to cease making such statements while proceedings are ongoing; he should be obliged to compensate the refereeing body for the moral, reputational, and professional damages caused; and Real Madrid should be required to publish an official statement of retraction and apology.”

Furthermore, the referees' union stressed that they have shown respect towards Real Madrid. They waited for the current round of matches to conclude, which ended on Thursday with the game between Real Madrid and Oviedo, before filing their complaint and making it public. “Out of respect for the competition and the other clubs,” they noted. Nevertheless, they are not intimidated by the accusations that have shocked them: “This is a serious, unjustified, and systematic attack on the professional and institutional honor of the refereeing body, which is not based on any final court ruling.”