Florentino Pérez did not answer Real Madrid's collapse with a football explanation. He answered it by calling elections three years early, rejecting resignation and framing the club's crisis as a fight he intends to win.

Pérez said he was re-elected in 2025 for the next four years, and he also said he had previously run unopposed in 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025. That was the backdrop to his latest press conference, where he tried to turn a sporting mess into a political test of who can challenge him.

Why the election move matters

The clearest line came quickly. Pérez said: "I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not going to resign."

He then pushed the confrontation further. "Those who want to come out and stand against me, they can. I am also going to stand to defend the rights of our members," he said. He also added, "I'm going to call an election. I've asked the electoral committee to begin the process of organising elections for the board of directors, of which this Board of Directors will stand as candidates."

That is a deliberate response to pressure, not an admission that he is on the way out. The election announcement puts the argument back on members, challengers and the board room, rather than on the football itself.

The wider mood around Barcelona's 2-0 El Clásico win over Madrid only sharpened the feeling that the club is being dragged from one problem to the next. But Pérez was not interested in explaining the collapse in football terms.

Health rumours, journalists and the dressing-room leak

He spent much of the briefing on the noise around him. Pérez said, "Some have even told me I have terminal cancer. I want to take this opportunity to let those who have been concerned about me know that I'm still president of Real Madrid and my company, and that my health is perfect."

He also accused journalists and publications of creating trouble for the club, and went after A. Alonso while widening the attack to La Liga and the Negreira case. He said, "Of course, there's also our perennial enemy, La Liga. We're going to fight. I'm fighting against everyone. The systemic corruption of the Negreira case … How can we just forget it? We're preparing a 500-page dossier that I'll send to UEFA when the competition is over."

The leak from inside the dressing room was the one part of the story he treated as a real problem. Pérez said, "It's not the first time that players fight with each other. It happens almost every season. But someone leaked it for the first time. And we know who it was. It should have stayed within the club."

He was talking about the dispute between Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni, and the leak became his key point. That is the part of the episode that feels most damaging, because Pérez was not trying to deny the altercation so much as say the public release of it was the real breach.

Mbappé's numbers show why the football side of the crisis cannot be reduced to one player either. Kylian Mbappé still produced 24 league goals and a 7.6 La Liga rating, with 15 Champions League goals as well. The club's problems clearly run deeper than a single underperformer.

Pérez has chosen his battlefield. The next step is the election process he has now pushed into motion, and the question is whether anyone does finally stand against him.

FAQ

Why did Florentino Pérez call Real Madrid elections after the collapse?

Pérez used the press conference to reject resignation and move the club into an election process three years early. He said challengers could stand against him and that he would stand to defend the rights of the members.

Is Florentino Pérez resigning after Real Madrid’s crisis?

No. Pérez said, “I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not going to resign.” He instead announced new elections for the board of directors and framed the moment as a fight over the club’s direction.

What did Florentino Pérez say about the Valverde and Tchouaméni leak?

Pérez said the leak was worse than the fight itself. He said disputes between players happen almost every season, but this one became public and should have stayed within the club.

Did Florentino Pérez deny health rumours at the press conference?

Yes. Pérez rejected rumours that he had cancer and said his health is perfect. He also accused journalists and publications of creating trouble for Real Madrid.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 9 outlets. How we work →