Florentino Perez holds emergency Real Madrid press conference, denies cancer diagnosis

Florentino Perez has shocked the Spanish media by announcing an unexpected press conference.

Real Madrid confirmed their president will speak to the media at 18:00pm European time via a statement.

“Real Madrid CF announces that this afternoon, at 6:00 p.m., our president, Florentino Pérez, will appear in the press room at Real Madrid City following the Board of Directors meeting and will address the media in a press conference,” they wrote.

Social media speculation was rife that Perez could announce his resignation amid claims about his health, but he denied both, and announced an election.

The businessman will also take questions from the media, a very unusual act during his second stint at the club.

Live updates:

• Perez has arrived alone accompanied by just a chair, desk and microphone.
  
• Real Madrid have broadcast the message: “Real Madrid always gets back up.”
  
• Perez announces elections: “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.”
  
• Pérez denies ill health: “At Real Madrid, there isn’t just one owner; it’s the 1,000 members who make up the club. I’ve made this decision because an absurd situation has been created, provoked by campaigns against the interests of Real Madrid and against me. The results haven’t been the best, but in sports, you don’t always win. They’re taking advantage of the situation to attack me personally. They’re saying, ‘Where’s Florentino?’ I don’t usually speak out. Some have even told me I have terminal cancer… I want to take this opportunity to let those who have been concerned about me know that I’m still president of Real Madrid and my company, and that my health is perfect. I couldn’t be in both places if my health weren’t perfect. If I had cancer, as has been said, I’d have to go to a cancer centre. If I were, wouldn’t it have been all over the world?”
  
• Florentino Pérez calls out journalist face-to-face: “ABC, a newspaper that loves me very much: ‘Before the Board meeting, Florentino says, ‘I’m very tired.’ But do you think I say this before going in? David Sánchez de Castro, are you here? I wanted to say hello, to see why you published that. I get up early in the morning and I’m the last one to go to bed, I work like a dog.”
  
• Florentino asserts himself: “I share the frustration, because we haven’t been able to win anything this year. But I have to tell you and show you that with me as president we have won 66 titles in football and basketball, including seven European Cups in football. I want to speak to those behind this campaign, those who operate in the shadows. Well, let them run in the elections; now they have the opportunity to do so. I am going to run to defend the interests of Real Madrid.
  
• Can’t accept accusations that he’s tired: “I ran for Real Madrid so that the members could be in charge. Journalists think they say one thing and people believe them, people believe me. Some journalists think they interfere in the club elections because they’re so important. Remember José María García? I started with him. Here at Real Madrid, the members are in charge as long as I’m here. Whoever wants to run, let them run. But don’t go behind my back saying I look tired, that it’s because I work so hard. I have to stop this. I can’t accept that there are people in the media who have taken over. Less than two years ago I won a league title and a Champions League, and now Madrid is ruined and in chaos… but how can it be chaos?”
  
• Attacks Barcelona: Three years ago we learned that we were facing a corruption case like the Negreira case, which is the biggest scandal in history. It’s incomprehensible that we’re still seeing referees from that era in our league. We’re compiling a substantial dossier that we’ll present to UEFA immediately.”
  
• Attack on the press: “Real Madrid is the strongest and most valuable brand in the world, the club with the greatest reputation in the world. Why do journalists want to mess with the most prestigious, most valued club with the most fans in the world? It belongs to everyone. And it has the most valuable squad in the world. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been elected the best president in history. There are some kids who want to run, well, let them run.”
  
• LaLiga is our enemy: “There are groups that have tried to take over the club. They tell the world that Real Madrid is in chaos. Then there are the ultras, who gather in a movement called Amber or something like that. And they’ll never be allowed back in. I’m congratulated from all over the world for getting rid of the ultras, the violent ones, and I have the support of the members, who want normal people. And then there are the ticket scalpers; we’ve expelled 1,600 members for reselling season tickets. How can a member make money by cheating Real Madrid? And of course, there’s always the enemy we have, which is La Liga.”
  
• Anger over the Super League: “We are preparing a 600-page dossier that I will send to UEFA. There is no precedent for this in world football. The president of the Technical Committee of Referees says we have to forget about it. But how can we forget it? We won the Super League case, we won at the Court of Justice of the European Union, and we went to UEFA to say that we are going to negotiate. For example, free football, so that children in Africa can watch football for free. And it’s not for the good of Real Madrid, it’s for the good of football.”

Perez is in his second tenure as Madrid president, having first led the club from 2000 to 2006.

He has been in situ for this term since 2009 and is now 79-years-old.

Real Madrid will finish the 2025/26 season trophyless, marking back-to-back campaigns without a major honour for the first time since 2004 to 2006 when Perez last left the club.

This season has seen fans chant for the president to resign with his coaching and squad calls hugely backfiring.

Perez was left embarrassed by the decision to replace Carlo Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso, firing him after just six months.

His replacement, Alvaro Arbeloa, has done much worse, and is dealing with dressing room chaos.

Perez reportedly went to the training ground on Monday and will likely announce Arbeloa’s sacking today.

He could well also give an update on his pursuit of Jose Mourinho.