Spanish referees escalate their fight with Real Madrid, filing new complaints against Florentino Pérez and RMTV
The referees’ union, which has already contcated the Competition Committee, is taking a new step in the confrontation with the club.
Spanish referees are going all‑in to defend what they call their honor and professionalism after Real Madrid and club president Florentino Pérez accused them of “stealing league titles” and engaging in long‑term corruption.
After requesting last week that Spain’s Competition Committee open a disciplinary case against Pérez, the referees have now taken a bigger step: filing formal complaints against both Pérez and Real Madrid TV before Spain’s Anti‑Violence Commission.
In a statement, the referees’ association AESAF said the complaints were filed “against Mr. Pérez and against Real Madrid TV and Real Madrid CF, as part of the institutional strategy AESAF maintains to defend the dignity, integrity, and protection of Spanish referees.”
They added that “the repeated nature of certain public messages, as well as the continuous broadcasting of content that systematically questions or discredits the refereeing community, contributes to deteriorating the climate of respect necessary for the proper development of sporting activity and may encourage tension, hostility, or violence toward referees.”
AESAF emphasized that these actions are meant to protect match officials: “To protect the people who carry out refereeing duties and ensure they can work in an environment of safety, respect, and coexistence. We reaffirm our commitment to using legal and institutional channels as tools to combat any form of violence, harassment, or defamation directed at referees.”
Second complaint in one week
This new filing comes just days after the referees submitted a request to the Competition Committee asking for a disciplinary case to be opened. They also demanded that the club and its president issue a public apology.
According to AESAF, “These statements cannot be justified as legitimate free expression or sporting criticism, because Mr. Pérez is not merely pointing out isolated refereeing errors — he is accusing the Refereeing Corps of committing a continuous crime of corruption over two decades.”
What Florentino Pérez said
Although Real Madrid TV and Florentino Pérez have spent years attacking Spanish refereeing, last week’s comments were the breaking point for the officiating community.
Among the remarks that infuriated referees were Pérez’s claims during a press conference that Real Madrid had been robbed of several league titles:
“I’ve been here many seasons and I’ve won seven Champions Leagues and seven La Ligas. It should have been 14 because the others were stolen from me. Systemic corruption for two decades, and it’s still the same referees.”
Later, on Spanish TV channel La Sexta, he added: “The same referees keep doing the same things, blatantly. This season they’ve robbed us of 16 or 18 points.”
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