Wednesdayâs news agenda has been dominated unanimously by the public appearance of Florentino PĂ©rez.
What was expected to be an institutional announcement to call elections at Real Madrid after a trophyless season turned into an unprecedented full-frontal attack on the media and football institutions.
The sports press forms a united front against the “farce”
The sports newspapers agree in describing the press conference as one of the most bizarre of the Real Madrid presidentâs tenure, highlighting his lack of self-criticism and his aggressiveness.
The newspaper MARCA runs the huge headline “CONFUSION.” It describes the appearance as “grotesque” and highlights a rambling speech in which the president refused to talk about the teamâs sporting crisis and instead focused on attacking the press. It quotes two devastating lines: “They stole seven league titles from me” and a defiant “Theyâll have to drag me out at gunpoint”.
ASchooses the presidentâs most aggressive quote for its front page: “THEYâLL HAVE TO DRAG ME OUT AT GUNPOINT.” The paper underlines that Florentino urgently called elections while ironically asking why no one is running against him: “Maybe theyâre afraid of me.” It also highlights his complaint about a “campaign” against him and the club.
MUNDO DEPORTIVO leads with a blunt “DELIRIOUS,” with the Catalan daily describing a press conference that “turned into a grotesque farce”. It says PĂ©rez once again pulled out the “Negreira card” to justify his own failures, indulged in self-praise, and showed “zero self-criticism”.
SPORT uses the term “REAL FARCE”, claiming that Florentino showed “his worst side.” Along with the attacks on the press and the mention of “stolen” league titles, Sport adds that FC Barcelona is already considering legal action over the serious accusations made by the Real Madrid chief.
The general press focuses on the political and social dimension of the attack
The general-interest newspapers also feature PĂ©rezâs outburst on their front pages, focusing on the institutional gravity of his words and the specific attacks on certain media groups.
ABCÂ is at the center of one of the most tense points, as PĂ©rez directly lashed out at them. The headline is blunt: “Florentino PĂ©rez covers up Real Madridâs failures with a furious attack on ABC”. The paper argues that the president is trying to divert attention from the “worst season in decades” and a divided dressing room by attacking the media reporting on it.
EL PAĂS heads its piece “Florentino PĂ©rez explodes at the press in an extraordinary appearance”. The paper highlights that, after a second year without trophies, the president chose instead to go after specific reporters, even speaking of a “conspiracy” and describing Spanish football as suffering from “systemic corruption”.
EL MUNDO defines the situation as “Florentino laid bare”. It describes the appearance as “disjointed and repetitive”, highlighting a belligerent side almost unknown to the wider public. It mentions that the president accused journalists of wanting to “take over ownership of the club”.
LA VANGUARDIA portrays a “rampaging Florentino PĂ©rez”. Its analysis focuses on a speech “full of victimhood” and on the announcement of an election process in which, according to the paper, he “is unlikely to face a rival” because of the institutional control he exerts.
LA RAZĂN is perhaps the only newspaper to offer a somewhat more institutional view from the clubâs perspective, headlining that he is calling elections “in defense of the members”. Even so, it does not ignore the aggressiveness of the speech and quotes the phrase “they wonât remove me, not even at gunpoint”, after he boasted of having won 66 titles during his tenure.
Wednesdayâs press paints a picture of a dug-in Real Madrid president, using the election call not as a democratic exercise but as a shield to protect himself from criticism after poor sporting management, pointing to external enemies to avoid internal accountability.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in đȘđž here.
