Florentino Perez Calls for Presidential Elections at Real Madrid

Florentino Perez has never been shy of a fight. On a turbulent night for Real Madrid politics, he stepped in front of the cameras and effectively called one.

The club’s all-powerful president confirmed he has triggered the process for presidential elections at the Bernabeu, a dramatic move at the end of a season many around Madrid have labelled a historic failure: no major trophies, a carousel of coaches, and a dressing room riddled with internal tension.

“I have asked the electoral board to begin the process to start the elections for the board of directors, for which we, this Board of Directors, will be running,” Perez announced. He stressed that the race would not be a closed shop. “I'm calling them so everyone knows they're open to everyone, that they can run like I did. I don't give lectures, I don't go where I have to be in the spotlight.”

The message was clear: the ballot box is open. If anyone wants him out, they will have to beat him.

No clues on the bench – and silence on Mourinho

Supporters tuned in hoping for clarity on the dugout. They left with none. After the brief and bruising tenures of Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, the identity of next season’s coach remains the question that hangs over the club. Perez refused to touch it.

Asked directly about the possibility of Jose Mourinho returning to “restore order” in Madrid, the president shut the door on any tactical debate, at least in public.

“Regarding Mourinho's arrival, we're not at that procedural stage yet; we're focused on ensuring that Real Madrid belongs to its members,” he said. “I want to discuss this with them, let them come forward, let them tell me what they've done for Real Madrid in their lives.”

Then he drew a firm line. “I'm not going to talk about coaches or players. I'm running to return the club's assets to its members.”

For now, the sporting project stays in the shadows. The political battle comes first.

Perez on the attack

If the elections are meant to bring calm, Perez’s tone suggested anything but. He used the appearance to mount a fierce defence of his record and to accuse parts of the media of trying to destabilise the club and drive him out.

He painted himself as the bulwark between Real Madrid and what he described as “outside interests” and “absurd campaigns” aimed at his removal, returning to a familiar theme of financial rescue and institutional protection.

“They're being taken away from them, from what I see every day, by some journalists who want me to leave,” he claimed, referring to the club’s members. “Not only am I not going to leave, I'm running for election because I want Real Madrid to continue belonging to its members.”

Perez reached back over more than two decades to underline his story. “I ran 26 years ago and had to pay those who weren't being paid and defend the institution. I have to put an end to this absurd campaign against Real Madrid. There has never been a more glorious Real Madrid in history. I was elected the best president in the club's history, and in the history of all clubs.”

It was vintage Perez: combative, self-assured, and unapologetically grandiose.

“Let them run”

For all the talk of democracy, there is, as yet, no obvious rival. That did not stop Perez from challenging his critics to step out of the shadows.

“I'm calling for elections this year so there will be candidates,” he said. Then he turned his fire on a specific, unnamed opponent. “That man who talks to the electric companies and has a South American accent, let him run. A Mexican accent. They say we're very bad, that we're a dictatorship. Let this man we're talking about run, and anyone else who wants to.”

Anonymous voices, he suggested, will no longer do. If you want to bring down Florentino Perez, put your name on the ballot.

He closed with a declaration that sounded less like a farewell and more like a warning.

“Florentino isn't going to leave until the members want him to. Those who want to run should run and say they're going to do better. That's what I did before 2000, when the dead were voting. Are we going back to that era? No. We are working to make football and Madrid better, and we are going to achieve many things.”

The elections are coming. Whether anyone dares to stand between Perez and another term will say as much about the state of Real Madrid as any trophy count.