Florentino Perez is not stopping. The president of Real Madrid and candidate in the elections to be held on Sunday, June 7, gave a new interview this Wednesday, this time for the newspaper “El Español“, in which he once again harshly criticized his rival Enrique Riquelme and indicated when he will announce the first already agreed addition.
“There will be names before Sunday, don't worry. People have no doubt about it, people know me. I have always inspired hope in the 23 years that I have been president. Those who know me know that the best players will be at Real Madrid and that sooner or later we will win another Champions League," he said regarding transfers, adding that "on Thursday I will announce the first big signing."
According to the publication, the first two deals will be for Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries, who should strengthen the defense.
As for the coaching position, when asked directly about Jose Mourinho, Perez limited himself to the brief: "I will announce it very soon." He also commented on Enrique Riquelme's statement on Sunday that Raul Gonzalez would be his sporting director if he wins the elections.
"It seems good to me, although I don't know if he has even spoken to him. I get calls from agents who tell me that Riquelme talks to players and tells them: "Don't say 'no'. I don't believe anything he says. One of the transfers he talked about was Rodri, but apparently there is no agreement with him," he said.
Florentino once again emphasized what he believes are lies on Riquelme's part. Of his opponent, he says: "I don't know him well, although I know his father, who was in Ramon Calderon's team," and emphasizes that there is "no doubt" that Riquelme would have signed the loan agreement with CVC proposed by La Liga of professional clubs.
“Everything Riquelme says is like the TV show "Everything is a lie." He claims he is coming to save Real Madrid, and at the same time he has to take out a loan with 54% interest for his own company. This is inexplicable“, he added.
The businessman once again spoke about specific individuals and sharpened his rhetoric against those who, in his opinion, want to harm the club.
“All the bad factors have gathered here: Calderón's people, Tebas' people, the people from the Federation… Those from that dark period want to regain control of Real Madrid at all costs. They want to appropriate the club for their own personal interest – something that I have never done once in these 26 years“, he stated categorically.
“With me, Real Madrid will always belong to its members.“ This is how Florentino begins his explanation of the ownership model that he wants to put to a referendum at the club.
„What do I want to do? Forbes values Real Madrid at 10 billion, although I think it's worth more, and my proposal is for this wealth to belong directly to the members.“
He claims that the way to do this will be discussed and put to a vote. „We will study the different options, we will discuss them and all the members will vote in a referendum. I want to move from the romantic idea of being a member of Real Madrid to something real and tangible. It is also a way to protect the club in the future from cases like the amendments to the Sports Law that Tebas tried to impose through a lobbying organization called Acento on deputies from the PSOE and PP. I was warned in time and thanks to this I was able to prevent the confiscation of the assets of the members of Real Madrid. If I hadn't understood, La Liga would have achieved its goal“, he reflects.
On this topic, Perez also commented on Riquelme's accusations that the club is heavily indebted and needs funds before June 30.
“If the other candidate claims that we are indebted, given that we are the richest club in the world, then what is left for the other Spanish teams? It is a lie that a new assessment should be made because of the loan for the reconstruction of the stadium. The interest on this loan is under 3%, and the remaining amount to be paid is 1 billion. The stadium is paid off annually through the income it already generates.“
Finally, he emphasizes that concerts will return to the “Bernabéu“ and that the club will work with the institutions to find a solution. "All the artists want to perform here, even the Pope wants to come," he says, before concluding with: "Whoever attacks the stadium is disrespecting Real Madrid, not me."
Florentino Perez was clear about one of his big future projects. It is the "Bernabéu Infinito" (The Infinite Bernabéu), which will allow club members to enjoy an immersive experience of the stadium through special glasses and television broadcasts.
"Anyone, wherever they are in the world, will be able to watch a match as if they were there," he explains.
In response to criticism from Riquelme, who stressed that Apple's glasses are too expensive, Florentino stated:
“Don't worry. This will become a global phenomenon and prices will fall. We are currently witnessing a technological revolution in football. In the 1940s, the revolution was the stadiums, because the aim was to attract more people to the stands. When I ran in 2000, the revolution was television and marketing - we have lived in that era until now. Now it is the turn of technology.“