Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme has issued a strong statement criticising club president Florentino Perez following recent comments made during Perez’s public appearance.
Riquelme accused Perez and members of his inner circle of creating unnecessary tension and spreading false information instead of encouraging respectful debate ahead of the club’s presidential process.
According to Riquelme, Real Madrid deserves “much more than noise, lies, self-serving hoaxes, and smear campaigns” among supporters who all share love for the club.
He insisted that disagreements within the club should not be used to weaken democracy at Real Madrid.
The businessman expressed disappointment over what he described as repeated personal attacks against his candidacy.
He claimed that Perez relied on false media reports that were later corrected and apologised for by the media outlet involved.
Riquelme also defended his business background after questions were raised about financial operations linked to his companies.
He explained that one operation mentioned by Perez was financed through a $2 billion corporate bond issuance in the United States market at an interest rate of 7.25%.
According to him, the transaction became a major milestone in Latin America’s financial market after attracting demand worth nearly $8 billion from investors.
The presidential hopeful further stated that his candidacy had already been approved by the club’s Electoral Board and should therefore be treated with respect.
He accused Perez of attempting to cast doubt on the legitimacy and integrity of his campaign.
Riquelme also turned attention toward Perez’s long stay in office, calling on the Real Madrid president to explain the involvement of family members and close associates in the club’s management and business dealings during his more than 20 years in charge.
Despite the growing tensions, Riquelme promised to continue running what he described as a “clean and calm campaign” focused on ideas for the future of Real Madrid.
