A criminal lawsuit? Barcelona drag Florentino Perez to court
Where will it all end?
The crisis between Barcelona and Real Madrid is heading towards a new chapter off the pitch. A date has been set for Florentino Perez, the president of the Royal Club, to appear before the courts in the Spanish capital, in connection with the lawsuit Barcelona filed over statements he made during a press conference last May.
According to what was reported by the newspaper "Marca", Perez will attend a conciliation hearing with Barcelona on 25 November at 9:40 in the morning, inside the courts of Madrid. It marks a new phase in the escalating dispute between the two rivals.
Barcelona demands that Florentino retract
The hearing stems from a request Barcelona submitted against Perez on charges of defamation. The Catalan club wants the Real Madrid president to retract a number of his statements, which it considers damaging to its image and reputation.
Reaching a settlement that ends the dispute is the primary aim of the hearing. Barcelona have already decided what they may do next if the Real Madrid president refuses to meet their demands.
By the club's declared position, Perez's failure to attend the hearing, or his attendance without retracting the disputed statements, could push Barcelona to file a criminal lawsuit against him. That would turn the crisis from a media confrontation between the two clubs into a battle before the courts.
Statements that ignited the crisis
The roots of the case go back to Perez's press conference on 12 May. Speaking about the Negreira case, he directed strong criticism at Barcelona, asserting that what he described as corruption in the case was "systematic" and that it represented "the biggest scandal in history".
Perez said the case cannot be forgotten. His club, he pointed out, was preparing a 500-page file to send to the Union of European Football Associations, and he confirmed he had spoken with officials in the union about it.
Real Madrid are not always the team harmed by decisions, Perez added, insisting Barcelona "always comes out benefiting" before stressing the need for the Union of European Football Associations to intervene.
Another of his statements sparked wide controversy. The seven league titles the club had won, he claimed, could have been 14, saying seven had been "stolen" from his team.
Yuste responds: the case heads towards escalation
The comments provoked the anger of the Barcelona board, who considered them insulting to the club and its reputation. Rafa Yuste, Barcelona's vice-president, hit back days later with strong statements of his own.
Yuste said Florentino Perez "resorted to slander to destabilise us", insisting the two parties would meet in court and stressing that Barcelona would not allow the name and emblem of the club to be insulted.
Last June, Barcelona officially announced the start of legal proceedings. The club explained it had submitted a request to hold a conciliation hearing before filing a criminal lawsuit against Perez on charges of defamation, based on Article 205 of the Spanish Penal Code.
Its aim, the club confirmed, is to force Perez to retract specific statements that Barcelona considers false and insulting to its image and reputation.
With the hearing set for 25 November, Florentino Perez now faces a decisive judicial appointment. The big question remains whether the confrontation ends at the conciliation hearing, or whether the dispute between the two poles of Spanish football moves on to a criminal lawsuit.
