Imperial on a sporting level, Real Madrid is, however, going through one of the most serious internal crises in its recent history. Indeed, according to the latest information from Mundo Deportivoa real civil war currently opposes two camps within the management of the Madrid club: on one side, Florentino Pérez and his close collaborator Anas Laghrari; on the other, the board of directors, led by the general director José Ángel Sánchez and the brother of the president, Enrique Pérez. As indicated by the Spanish media, these two clans are, today, in disagreement regarding the future model of the Merengue club.
Two clans are torn apart
Indeed, if the club operates, for the moment, under the traditional model of “social club”collectively owned by its members, like FC Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao, Florentino Pérez, the current boss of Casa Blanca, would like to transform this organization into a sports limited company (SAD). A status closer to a private company and which would considerably modify the governance of the club since the proposed project would consist of allocating 51% of the capital to the Real Madrid Foundation and 49% to the members.
Desired, this reform is however clearly not unanimous, particularly among supporters of the status quo, led by José Ángel Sánchez, who cling to the idea of a club belonging to its members. Determined to preserve the identity and history of Real Madrid, they fear, in fact, a gradual privatization of the club, moreover after the Spanish Sports Law of 2022. As a reminder, this allows both clubs and sports limited companies to participate in professional competitions. A development that reinforces the ambitions of Florentino Pérez, keen, according to those close to him, to strengthen the economic stability of the club in the face of world football increasingly dominated by private investors.
A historic turning point for Real Madrid?
More than the strategic and economic arguments, a power struggle is also playing out within the White House. While Real Madrid has already created several subsidiary companies, notably for the operation of the new Santiago Bernabéu, in collaboration with the American company Legends International, some managers fear that the transformation of the club into SAD will concentrate even more control in the hands of the president, to the detriment of the members. A point obviously rejected by Florentino Pérez, considering this revolution necessary to maintain the financial competitiveness of Real Madrid in the long term.
While tension rises internally and several observers fear that this institutional crisis will sooner or later affect the sporting stability of the club, Mundo Deportivo specifies that the proposal has not yet been submitted to the club's General Assembly but that internal discussions have become explosive, to the point of fracturing the management into two irreconcilable camps. And for good reason. If Real Madrid were to change their model, this turning point would mark a major change in the history of the Merengues, who have, until now, defended a certain democracy where each member can vote to elect the president and participate in major decisions. To be continued…
