Enrique Riquelme attacks Perez: there are things I do not like, and selling Real Madrid is a red line!
The former candidate breaks his silence
Enrique Riquelme is back in the spotlight. The former Real Madrid presidential candidate, who ran against Florentino Pérez in the recent elections, has broken his silence with striking statements that leave the door open to a future return, while sending a clear message on the one issue that could prompt him to act again inside the club.
Riquelme, who took 35% of the vote in the recent Real Madrid elections, spoke in an interview reported by the newspaper Marca about his electoral experience and his future. He accepts the result and respects the choice of the club's members, but stressed that one thing still represents a "red line" for him.
On the possibility of running again for the Real Madrid presidency, Riquelme said: "I respect the results that have taken place, and all I ask for is unity within the Real Madrid community, even if there are things I do not like. Time will tell whether I will run again or not".
He added: "I ran when I was seeing what was happening and did not like it from the point of view of concern for the institutional situation".
Note the phrasing. Riquelme did not announce his withdrawal from the electoral scene. He left the door to a return wide open, at a time when Florentino Pérez continues to lead the club.
The clearest message came when he turned to the future of the club and the possibility of changing its statutes, one of the most prominent themes of his campaign against Pérez.
"Selling the club is still a red line for me," the former candidate said. "I will be very attentive to any possible change in the statutes to prevent the possibility of the club being sold. I will act if I see that this is happening, although I must say that I do not see this happening at the present time".
Riquelme is holding the line he took during the elections, when he made the future of Real Madrid's ownership one of the central points of his dispute with Pérez. This time he spoke from outside the race, confirming that he does not currently see a sale taking place.
He would not rule out a future run for the presidency either. "We will see what happens after several years," he said.
The comments come a few months after the elections that Pérez settled. Riquelme still rejects any change that could open the door to a sale, while backing the team and respecting the result at the ballot box.
He announced no new electoral move. Yet his insistence that "selling the club" is a red line, and his vow to act if the prospect becomes real, drag his name back into Real Madrid's political scene and leave the door open to a fresh confrontation with Pérez.
