Real Madrid boss stuns media with fiery press conference after Barcelona humiliation: 'It is the biggest scandal'

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez stunned the football world on Monday after delivering a fiery and emotional press conference following the club’s humiliating defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona at Camp Nou early on Monday morning.

The heavy loss confirmed another disappointing season for Real Madrid, with Barcelona sealing back-to-back La Liga titles while Los Blancos finished the year without a major trophy once again.

Amid growing criticism from fans and sections of the Spanish media, Perez directly addressed rumours surrounding his future and health while also announcing fresh elections for the club’s board of directors.

"I regret to tell you that I am not going to resign, but rather I have asked the Board to initiate the electoral process for the elections to the Board of Directors, in which this current Board of Directors will participate," he said.

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The 79-year-old club president strongly hit back at rumours claiming he was seriously ill and too tired to continue leading Real Madrid. "I have made this decision because an absurd situation has been created by campaigns aimed at generating an opinion trend against the interests of Real Madrid and especially against me," he said.

"They say: 'Where is Florentino?' when I usually don’t speak. They say I’m sick and have terminal cancer. I want to assure those who are concerned about me that I continue to preside over Real Madrid and my company every single day," he added.

Perez slams media for running campaigns against him

Perez also criticised sections of the media, accusing journalists of running campaigns against him after his team’s poor season. He said Real Madrid is governed by its members and that there is no single owner, adding that a few journalists can't influence the club.

"There are sectors that want to control Real Madrid and haven’t succeeded because it is governed by its members and not by journalists, some of whom think they are very important. People believe me. Some journalists think they influence the club’s decisions. I ran in the year 2000, and I know this story well," he said.

Perez also expressed frustration that people had forgotten Real Madrid’s recent success after only two difficult seasons. "They’ve already forgotten that two years ago, I won a League and a Champions. Now they say Madrid is in ruin, in chaos, but we are the most prestigious club in the world, and everyone acknowledges that," he said.

Perez also brought up the controversial Negreira case involving alleged payments made by Barcelona to former referee official José María Enríquez Negreira. The Real Madrid chief called it “the biggest scandal in football history” and revealed that the club is preparing documents to present before UEFA.

"Three years ago, we learned about a corruption case known as the Negreira Case. There are no precedents in the history of world football. It is the biggest scandal in history and a case that remains unresolved and ongoing. It is incomprehensible that we are still seeing referees from that era officiating in a competition like La Liga. It lasted two decades of payments. These are the same referees, and we are compiling an important dossier that we will immediately present to UEFA so they can address it at its root and resolve it for the good of world football," he said.

The dramatic press conference lasted for nearly 90 minutes, where Perez even argued with journalists and said that he has no plans to step down as the club's president. He also said that Real Madrid could have won more titles under him had the refereeing been fair.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Jose Mourinho is in the final stages of his negotiations with the club to become the next manager. Xabi Alonso was fired mid-season due to Madrid's poor form, and Alvaro Arbeloa was appointed as an interim coach. Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, is facing his own challenges with injury and dynamics within the dressing room.