Madrid’s Perez summoned over Barcelona referee payments comments

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Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and FC Barcelona have been summoned to appear before a Madrid court on November 25 for a conciliation hearing ahead of possible criminal proceedings for defamation against Perez, sources close to the case said on Monday.

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The hearing follows legal action launched by Barcelona on June 12 over comments made by Perez in May accusing the Catalan club of manoeuvring to obtain favourable treatment from referees.

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Barcelona said its action was intended to force Perez to retract statements it described as knowingly false, defamatory and damaging to the club’s image and reputation.

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It warned that if the conciliation process failed, it would file a criminal complaint.

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The dispute centres on comments Perez made at a May 12 press conference concerning the so-called Negreira case.

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Spanish courts are investigating payments said to be up to 7 million euros made over almost two decades by Barcelona to companies linked to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee, to determine whether they were intended to obtain a competitive advantage.

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Barcelona denies wrongdoing and says the payments were for reports on referees and a court dismissed bribery charges against Barcelona in 2024.

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Perez described the affair as “the most serious case of corruption in football”, adding: “We could never have imagined Barcelona giving money to the head of the referees.”

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He also claimed Real Madrid had been denied league titles, saying: “I’ve won seven leagues. I could have won twice as many. The others were stolen from me.”

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AFP

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