Perez to run again for top role at Real Madrid

Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, announced on Tuesday that he will stand for re-election, while also calling for club elections, despite the team's poor performance this season. The 79-year-old Perez made this declaration during a press conference, stating "I am not going to resign".

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Real Madrid's disappointing season has been marked by a trophyless finish, with the team being defeated 2-0 by Barcelona in the Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday, allowing Barcelona to claim back-to-back La Liga titles with three games to spare.

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The team's exit from the Champions League came in the quarter-finals, where they lost to Bayern Munich, further highlighting the need for change, with current coach Alvaro Arbeloa unlikely to remain at the helm next season.

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Former Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has been linked to a potential return, as the team looks to bounce back from a season that has seen them finish without a major trophy for the second year running.

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Fans have been protesting against star player Kylian Mbappe, citing a perceived lack of commitment, while multiple training ground bust-ups have made headlines, including one that sent midfielder Fede Valverde to the hospital.

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Perez justified his decision to stand for re-election, citing an "absurd campaign" against Real Madrid, which he believes has been created to generate negative opinion against the team's interests.

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According to Perez, he has been at the club for 26 years and has had a wonderful time, but now feels the need to take a stand against what he sees as a targeted campaign against him and the team.

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Perez took aim at media campaigns and other personalities, claiming they are taking advantage of the team's poor results to target him personally and damage the team's reputation.

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He stated that his goal is to "put an end to this anti-Madrid current that wants to destroy Real Madrid" and to return the club's assets to its members, while also calling on potential opponents to clearly outline their plans and financing strategies.

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Perez emphasized that Real Madrid is "the most prestigious club in the world", despite being labeled as a "problem case" by some, and expressed his frustration with the lack of trophies for the second consecutive year.

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He also addressed the altercation between Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, stating that it was "very bad" and that making it public was "even worse", with both players being fined 500,000 euros.

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Perez announced that he and his backers are compiling a 500-page dossier to be sent to UEFA, detailing allegations of corruption in Spanish refereeing, which he described as "the most serious case of corruption in football".

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He claimed that he could have won 14 titles, but some were "stolen" from him, and referenced the ongoing investigation into Barcelona's payments to former vice-president of Spain's refereeing committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, totaling seven million euros ($8.3 million) over several years.