Florentino Perez refused to attend his team’s match against Barcelona this weekend.
Perez was scheduled to appear in the Olympic Stadium manager’s box for Saturday afternoon’s match, but a series of recent events dissuaded him, according to The Athletic. The Real Madrid hierarchy are reportedly angry over a social media post by a Barcelona staff member who attempted to discredit racism towards Vinicius Jr. They are also concerned about construction allegations made against Barcelona in the Negreira affair.
After a few years of relative peace, tensions have once again boiled over between Spain’s two biggest clubs. Last year, Barcelona tweeted a video linking Madrid to Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Los Blancos responded, leaving both sides in a stalemate.
Carlo Ancelotti supported Perez’s decision not to take part in the match in a press conference ahead of Saturday’s match: ” What I know is that the president’s decisions are taken for the good of the club. Everything he decides is for the good of the club”.
The two teams will meet for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon.
