"They've stolen 18 points from us!" Perez rails against the referees

FBL-ESP-LIGA-REAL MADRID

During his impassioned speech on Tuesday evening, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez also levelled serious accusations at the referees.

In a fiery tirade on Tuesday evening, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez clashed with the media and condemned LaLiga, branding it "our enemies". He also made serious accusations against the referees.

"I've won only seven LaLiga titles with Real Madrid!? I should have 14. They stole the other seven from me," fumed Pérez after Los Blancos surrendered Sunday's league title to FC Barcelona with a 2-0 El Clásico defeat.

According to Perez, Real Madrid's 14-point deficit with three matches left is not due to their own form but to refereeing decisions. "The referees have stolen 18 points from us in LaLiga," he claimed.

"The worst scandal in football history!" Perez speaks out again on the Negreira affair

Amid renewed criticism of refereeing, Perez denounced the Negreira affair as "the worst scandal in football history" and lamented that it remains unresolved.

The case centres on allegations that the former vice-president of the Spanish Referees' Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, received more than seven million euros from FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018. The Spanish public prosecutor's office claims the club paid for favourable refereeing decisions. The club insists it paid only for reports and advice.

"The same referees from the Negreira era are still in action. They're still officiating. That makes no sense," Perez continued. "Barca paid for Negreira's services for two decades, and these referees are still active in the third decade."