Florentino Pérez: “No one knows the Ballon d’Or voters! »

The 2024 General Assembly of Socios was held this Sunday morning at Ciudad Real. Florentino Pérez gave his annual speech on the situation of the club, its future and above all by addressing many of the problems that his Real Madrid faces. On today's menu, the new stadium, FIFA and UEFA, Tebas and his Liga and above all the Ballon d'Or scandal.

The president of Real Madrid paid tribute to all those who have left us this year in the world of Football and to the victims of the DANA which affected the Valencia region. Pérez then continued by looking back on Real Madrid's wonderful season, with 6 titles between football and basketball last season and the European Super Cup this season.

The president gave his full support to Carvajal, Militao and Alaba, who were injured for a long time. He then paid tribute to the legend Nacho, to thunderous applause from the members. Then, he declared his love for Vinicius Jr., “the best player in the world” according to him. Toni Kroos, “a very difficult player to find”, was also warmly greeted by Florentino Pérez. Spanish basketball and Real Madrid legends Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez also had their respective tributes.

Florentino Pérez obviously gave an update on the new stadium, almost finished, and on the difficulties encountered.

Pérez speaks: “Now, onto the problems related to the stadium. It is inconceivable to read in certain toxic digital media that the Bernabéu does not have a license to operate. Organizing concerts is not a particularly lucrative activity for the club. I want you to know that the revenue from this activity represents barely 1%. But we understand that this activity is important, because it strengthens the image of the club. This is why we are making our stadium available.

He puts the ball back in the town hall's court: “It will be up to the town council to decide whether they want it to continue to host large events, which would strengthen the image of the whole town and benefit many. I repeat, for us, it's barely 1% of profits.

Pérez continues: “And regarding parking, large infrastructures have parking and we have agreed with the town hall to reserve a third for residents. Can we understand that to play 25 two-hour matches per year, we would make such an investment? Well, we do it, in order to improve this neighborhood called Chamartín. With whom we maintain close relationships. Always. »

Pérez attacks the new format of the Champions League: “It’s unfair, no one understands it. There are more matches, but the value of each one has dropped by almost 30%. More matches, but less value. This competition will only generate enthusiasm at the end and not at the beginning. »

He then tackles the FIFA and UEFA calendar: “It harms the players, increases the number of injuries — this season we could play up to 82 matches! There are 63% more matches organized by UEFA and FIFA: from 22 to 36. There have already been nine cruciate ligament ruptures this season, as many as in all of last season. Specialists point to fatigue as the cause. In addition, matches are getting later and later, which prevents players from resting. »

He continues: “FIFA has increased the number of truces and UEFA has increased the number of matches in its existing tournaments, while launching a new tournament: the Club World Cup. Ten years ago, it organized 488 matches, today it organizes 760. They don't think about the players. They don't think that sport should be viable and sustainable. »

Finally, he explains why what UEFA is doing is absurd: “Apart from the calendar, no one cares about putting on a good show. In 122 years, an English team has only come to the Bernabéu 22 times. Arsenal have only come once in our history and, in 16 years, United only once. However, Nadal and Federer have faced each other more than 100 times. The path is not the right one. »

Pérez optimizes on his Super League project: “The Super League's proposal to offer football for free. Yes, it’s innovative! Today, I am more optimistic than ever. The judgment of the European Court, which is historic and will be studied in universities, put an end to UEFA's monopoly. We never said it would be easy. It was titanic, with pressure and threats. »

Pérez explains how and why to achieve this: “Just as Bernabéu pushed for the creation of the European Cup, by beating the opponent. Today we are proud of this battle for the Superliga. But it's not just about celebrating the verdict. This is a unique and real opportunity. We want to make football great again. The system is not working and timing is critical. A22, the company responsible for the Super League, continues to discuss and work with clubs. The format will be 100% meritocratic. The ruling of the European Court of Justice has given us back our freedom. »

The president of Real Madrid maintains his stance against La Liga: “And now LaLiga. We regret the lack of transparency. We are surprised, despite our insistence, to see how LaLiga justifies the money it distributes to clubs and the media. We think, of course, that it is possible that it is some of these media which attack us on a recurring basis. We asked you to identify the subsidized media, because we believe that if some of them receive more money, it is for a specific purpose. Let him tell us.”

Pérez insists: “We are concerned about LaLiga’s attacks on our financial assets. Our assets and money are under severe attack. She wants to appropriate the rights that belong to the clubs. With the CVC, they wanted to expropriate 11% of the profits for half a century. 50 years! Whether we like it or not. Behind our backs. We defended ourselves, of course, and we went to criminal proceedings. Then, in 2022, the new sports law was passed, engaging a political lobby to introduce amendments that amounted to expropriating LaLiga of our commercial rights. To achieve their goals, they put pressure on politicians, even threatening to strike. Barcelona, ​​Athletic Club and Real Madrid, once again, reacted in a united manner. This rejection, I must say, was possible thanks to the consensus between the PSOE and the PP. If these amendments had prospered, Real Madrid would no longer belong to its members, but to its creditors. »

Pérez gives his solution to counter La Liga: “They will come back, but we will fight. We will do everything necessary to ensure that this club remains in the hands of its members. Don't doubt it. We will present a proposal for the reorganization of Real Madrid that guarantees prosperity. Something that ensures that we, the members, are the owners of the club. »

Pérez starts strong: “And finally, a mention of the Ballon d’Or (laughs). For the first time in history, UEFA organized the trophy. Of course. First of all, I want to clarify that Rodri is a great footballer. Let him know that this has nothing to do with him. I'm going to read the Tuttosport editorial: “Rodrigo deserves a Ballon d'Or, but not this one. Last year City won the treble and he scored, but he didn't even finish on the podium? They wanted to make up for it this time.” I agree. »

Pérez added: “The Golden Ball should have been awarded to a Real Madrid player, whatever the criteria applied. The people turned to Vinicius, but they could have gone to our captain, Carvajal. Or even Bellingham. It's very difficult to explain. But there are some surprising things. The UEFA press release emphasizes that its entry had no impact on the voting system. It's true. Well, to avoid it, I'll tell you: they changed the voting system (from 5 players to 10), also the number of points (from 6 to 15).

Pérez prefers to be ironic: “It is surprising that football, something so global, journalists from a population as large as India do not vote and others of less than a million, yes. And let no one know the voters! Without Namibia, Uganda, Albania and Finland, Vinicius would have won the Golden Ball. In addition, these countries did not give a vote to Vinicius (laughs). None ! (laughs again) The Finn has at least resigned. And he said he would no longer be on the jury. I thank him for that. »

Pérez finally gives his solutions for this award: “We would have to ask the organization what the criteria are, but it is clear that they can do what they want without cost. I will ask France Football and L'Équipe if it makes sense to partner with UEFA at this time. The Ballon d'Or should be an independent trophy and voted on by recognized people. »

On Barça : “Barça and Real Madrid must help each other, I say it in all sincerity. We have to think that this is one of the biggest clubs in the world. Why should we be angry with them? »

On the perpetrators of racist acts at Clasico and resale : “There are people who have a socio card, but it is easier for them not to be Madrid supporters. Likewise, I want to clarify that in terms of resale, yes, there are a lot of people who sell their subscriptions. Of course it's true. Just like there are companies that have several membership cards. There is a procedure in place to stop this and 421 people have already been sanctioned for reselling. We are relentless in the face of this. »

On the problems at the Bernabéu : “We have two problems at the stadium, the parking lot and the neighbors. If they take them away from us tomorrow, I'll be delighted. But if it can help the Chamartín neighborhood improve its infrastructure. Everything that has been built has been thanks to the impact of Real Madrid. If we can do concerts, we will do them. But we will do what the municipal authorities want. Let's not give too much importance to the question of income, because the main thing comes from sponsors and they are huge. Let's see what we can do about the noise. There are neighborhoods where there are open-air concerts at 4 p.m. and you can hear them. Anyway, we'll see. But let's be clear: our business is football, the stadium museum, the store. Some people say we want to do concerts to make money. But no one is making money. He who sings, who sings well, earns money. Our job is to have the best players in the world and to win European Cups. This is what differentiates us from other clubs. »

On the Sky Bar : “A man comes here, does and doesn't pay his suppliers, so they don't sign the papers. We have asked for possession of the stadium and it is having an effect. Some say we are going bankrupt. He should know that the Sky Bar represents even less than the concerts. For us, the real income comes from sporting activities”

On a potential bankruptcy : I would like to take this opportunity to say that the money we requested for financing. we pay 60 million euros per year for 30 years, but with the investment we have made we can earn between 120 and 150. We haven't made a bad deal, have we? What concerns us is the amendment they presented to Parliament. It's true. Because he deprived us of our income. Some say we are going to go bankrupt, but how are we going to go bankrupt? »

Comments collected by Guillaume Pomade