Real Madrid is now moving forward like an institution at war against an entire system. Tuesday evening, in an exceptional press conference which stunned Spain, Florentino Pérez launched one of the most explosive attacks in the recent history of European football. For more than an hour, the Madrid president denounced what he considers to be “organized persecution» against his club, directly targeting Spanish refereeing, VAR, certain federal authorities and even the political environment surrounding Iberian football. A totally extraordinary outing which immediately sparked a monumental media fire in Madrid and Barcelona. The atmosphere around Real Madrid has become unbreathable for several weeks. The European elimination left deep scars in the locker room while La Liga transformed into an institutional nightmare. FC Barcelona has just been officially crowned champion with a fourteen-point lead, an unbearable humiliation for Madrid management convinced of having been “dispossessed» of the championship. In the Valdebebas offices, anger had been brewing for months. But no one imagined Florentino Pérez ready to unleash an offensive of such public violence against Spanish referees and against UEFA itself.
The Madrid president chose the most tense moment possible. Kylian Mbappé has just finished his second Spanish season in absolute chaos. Between injuries, medical tensions, physical fatigue and incessant criticism, the French star has experienced stifling recent months. His physical state in recent days has fueled immense controversy in Spain, with several media close to the club believing that the striker had been “abandoned» by a hellish schedule and by refereeing decisions continually putting Madrid players in danger. The image of its open arcade after the clash against Girona caused immense rage internally since Real believes that this action perfectly sums up the treatment inflicted on the club all season. But behind the sporting crisis lies a much deeper institutional divide. For several days, rumors surrounding the return of José Mourinho have been setting Madrid alight. In certain circles close to Florentino Pérez, the idea of a coach capable of “go back to war» against the Spanish environment is making headway. The internal climate has become so tense that several Madrid media are talking about a total break between the club and the arbitration authorities. Some managers now consider that Real Madrid is no longer simply the victim of human errors but of “a hostile system» built against him. A very serious accusation which today makes all of Spanish football tremble according to A.S..
The Merengues are preparing
At the heart of this storm is a video that has become obsessive in the corridors of the Bernabéu. A compilation prepared since the start of the season by the club’s teams. A gigantic document combining slow motion, referee communications, VAR decisions and video sequences intended to demonstrate what Real Madrid considers to be a series of systematic injustices. Florentino Pérez publicly confirmed the existence of this file. Five hundred pages. Dozens of video sequences. Detailed arbitration analyses. And above all an extremely aggressive conclusion since the club claims that these decisions would have cost it sixteen points in La Liga. The first match cited in this file concerns the trip to the Rayo Vallecano field during the twelfth day. A meeting ended in a goalless draw but became symbolic of Madrid’s anger. The club claims three forgotten penalties. A run-in on Jude Bellingham. A push on Arda Güler. Then a final contentious contact on Mbappé in the final seconds. According to Real Madrid, these three situations demonstrate a desire to systematically ignore fouls committed against its players in the opposing area. In Valdebebas, several leaders are still talking today about a match “stolen”.
The trip to Girona a few weeks later also occupies a central place in the video sent to UEFA. Real believes that the first Catalan goal should never have existed after a prior foul on Mbappé when recovering the ball. Then comes the sequence that has been driving the Madrid club crazy for months. Ten minutes from time, Rodrygo collapsed in the area after contact with Joel Roca. Neither the referee nor the VAR intervene. For Madrid, this scene represents one of the most blatant examples of Spanish refereeing inconsistency. But it was probably the match against Celta Vigo which definitely blew up the Madrid management. A nightmarish evening that has become almost mythological in the media close to the club. Controversial expulsions. Penalty awarded to the Galicians. Permanent tensions with the Madrid bench. Real claims that several decisions completely destroyed the match. The expulsion of Endrick while he was on the bench remains notably experienced as an institutional humiliation. Internally, some managers still talk about arbitration “out of control“.
The file becomes even more explosive with the meeting against Osasuna. For Florentino Pérez, this match marks the real psychological turning point of the season. Real Madrid directly accuses VAR of having arbitrarily modified an initial decision to offer a decisive penalty to Osasuna. The club believes that the video intervention did not respect the planned protocol since the action did not constitute a manifest error. This sequence today fuels one of the most radical theories from the Madrid camp according to which certain VAR interventions were used in a “selective» against the club. Madrid’s anger does not stop there. The trip to Mallorca remains considered an absolute scandal by several club officials. Madrid believe a blatant handball in the box was ignored in the opening minutes. Then comes the victorious Mallorcan goal in the final seconds. Real claims that an obvious foul precedes the decisive action. The replays compiled in the video sent to UEFA focus at length on the disputed contact. For Madrid leaders, this action represents “the drop of water» having convinced Florentino Pérez to go on the total offensive.
Mbappé at the heart of the matter
The most shocking scene in the file, however, concerns Mbappé against Girona on the 31st day. The French striker receives a violent elbow in the area. His arch explodes before the eyes of the cameras. Blood flows profusely down his face. Neither the central referee nor the VAR intervene. The images caused absolute fury in the Real Madrid offices. According to several Spanish media, Florentino Pérez immediately demanded that this sequence open the video intended for UEFA as it would symbolize “impunity» from which certain referees would benefit against Madrid. The match against Betis completes this incendiary file. Hand supposedly forgotten on a strike from Brahim Díaz. Position deemed legal by Bellingham despite an offside whistle. Foul claimed on Ferland Mendy before the Andalusian equalizer. Every decision is dissected frame by frame in the Madrid compilation. Each detail is presented as additional proof of arbitral treatment considered abnormal.
The figures put forward by the club further fuel the controversy. According to statistics compiled by Madrid, Real would be the team most penalized by VAR this season with eleven unfavorable decisions against only three favorable. Barcelona would, on the contrary, display a positive differential. In Florentino Pérez’s entourage, some are now talking about a championship “artificially distorted“. Extremely serious comments which immediately provoked the anger of Barça and several La Liga officials. UEFA now finds itself in the middle of a major political bombshell. Because behind the arbitration accusations there is also a historically toxic relationship between Florentino Pérez and the major European institutions since the Super League war. Many see this offensive by Real Madrid as a gigantic attempt at pressure at a time when relations finally seemed to be calming down. Several European leaders now fear a total divide between Madrid and the continental football authorities.
In Barcelona, the explosion is already underway. Those close to the Catalan club see Madrid’s accusations as a desperate attempt to divert attention after a disastrous season. Some Catalan media even speak of “a delegitimization campaign» from the Barça title. Political tensions are spiraling out of control. On Spanish TV sets, former referees, journalists and managers accuse each other in an atmosphere that has become completely hysterical. One thing seems certain now. Real Madrid no longer just wants to protest. The club wants to cause an earthquake. Florentino Pérez has opened a head-on war against the Spanish arbitration system and placed UEFA at the center of a potentially devastating affair. Madrid believes it has been the victim of a manipulated season. Its opponents denounce a paranoid drift from a club incapable of accepting failure. But after this press conference and after the revelation of this explosive video, Spanish football entered an absolutely historic zone of turbulence.
