Sports Weekly All-Media Original
On May 12, Real Madrid Chairman Florentino held an emergency press conference. The press conference had three themes: the first was to hold an early election, the second was to respond to the slander of public opinion, and the third was to continue to protest against the shady penalties. Regarding the content expressed by Fernando, whether it is groundless accusations with no factual basis at all, or whether there are indeed corresponding facts, the public response is not uniform; as for the development trend of this matter, and even the future direction of Real Madrid, it is still like being in a fog, and no one can make it clear. There is only one aspect that is undisputed, and that is Fernando's ability to hold important positions continuously. Due to the failure to win the championship for many years in a row, the reputation of the meritorious chairman has inevitably been affected. However, due to the strict regulations, Fernando is destined to be the only candidate for six consecutive general elections. In fact, it is only a matter of time before he wins. This means that there is a war between Real Madrid and La Liga, and there is a confrontation between Real Madrid and the referee organization. This war and confrontation will continue for a long time.
At the beginning of the press conference, Florentino took the lead in confirming that after the board meeting held that day, Real Madrid decided to start a new round of presidential election activities, and he would participate in the election again. From 2009 to the present, Real Madrid organized 5 general elections, and Fernando was the only candidate every time. One of the key reasons , the club charter he revised in 2012, stipulates that presidential candidates need to submit a bank guarantee accounting for 15% of the club's total expenditure budget for the season. According to this season's record budget of 1.248 billion euros, those who want to participate in the election need to provide 187 million personal assets as a guarantee, and must collect it within 10 days after the election begins. For construction tycoon Florentino, this was certainly an easy task, but it was enough to keep out most potential challengers. The most recent election ended in 2025, thus confirming that Fernando's term will last until 2029. Now, the 79-year-old Florentino is about to win six consecutive general elections. If no opponent participates in the election within the specified time, the only candidate, Fernando, will be confirmed to be automatically re-elected on May 24.
When it wins without a fight, Real Madrid will surely further deepen its battle with management and refereeing agencies. The Spanish referee system initiated structural changes last season and announced the establishment of a referee union. Real Madrid was dissatisfied with this and felt that such a move was just a change of the same medicine. They regarded the union and the Committee for Arbitration (CTA) as the same thing and resolutely demanded fundamental changes. However, their initiative was not responded to. Real Madrid simply withdrew from the reform. Among the 42 teams in the league, it is the only one that does this and deeply practices isolationism. At the press conference, Fernando once again mentioned the Negrera case involving long-term bribery of referees by rival Barcelona, confirming that since the start of this season, Real Madrid has been preparing a comprehensive file of wrong decisions in La Liga. This file is about 500 pages thick. It has also been submitted to UEFA, including the season penalties that caused Real Madrid to lose 16 points and evidence of past unjust cases that "stealed" seven league championships during Fernando's tenure.
As for how all parties will react, La Liga president Tebas, Fernando's old enemy, mocked Fernando for "liking to play the victim." Barcelona, as well as the referees' union, are working with their respective legal departments to analyze Fernando's remarks, and are also considering taking legal action. Speaking of which, if there are too many lice, they won't itch, and if there are too many lawsuits, they won't itch. Worry, if he is sued, Nafo's claim of "persecution" will have more factual basis. The chairman of Real Madrid, who regards himself as a top alpha male, not only welcomes lawsuits, but even enjoys them. After all, when he clarified the rumors about terminal illness, he said: "I still work day and night, and I am as strong as a beast."