Real Madrid president faces huge ban for 'theft or corruption' rant as referees complain to Spanish FA

The AESAF referee union has officially filed a complaint with the RFEF Discipline Committee following comments made by Florentino Perez during a press conference last Tuesday. The Real Madrid president did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating standards in Spain, using terms that have sparked a major institutional backlash.

In their statement, the union argued that Perez’s rhetoric crossed a line that cannot be excused by freedom of speech. The union considers that these declarations "cannot be justified under the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression nor of sports criticism, given that Mr Perez does not limit himself to pointing out specific refereeing errors but attributes to the refereeing body the perpetration of a continued crime of corruption during two decades."

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Real Madrid chief could face disciplinary action under Spanish football regulations for his accusations of "theft or corruption" in La Liga. The RFEF Disciplinary Code outlines two possible sanctioning routes, with one carrying significantly harsher consequences for the club’s hierarchy than the other.

In the most extreme disciplinary scenario, Perez could face suspension from football-related duties for between one month and two years under Article 94 of the RFEF disciplinary code. However, the most likely outcome would be a financial fine under Article 106 rather than a suspension.

While the threat of a two-year ban looms, experts suggest that a financial penalty is a more probable outcome. Article 106 of the code specifically covers "Declarations through any medium about members of the refereeing collective or members of the regulatory guarantee bodies", providing a framework for punishing those who question the integrity of officials.

The rules specify that "the carrying out by any person subject to sports discipline of declarations through any medium through which the honesty and impartiality of any member of the refereeing collective or the RFEF bodies is questioned, as well as declarations that imply a disapproval of the activity of any member of the mentioned collectives when they are carried out with contempt or when offensive, insulting, humiliating or foul language is used, will be sanctioned."

For club directors, this typically results in a fine ranging from €601 to €3,005.06.

Tensions between Real Madrid and Barcelona escalated sharply after Perez reignited controversy surrounding the Negreira case, claiming his side had been deprived of several league titles. During a fiery press conference, Perez suggested his tally of seven La Liga titles could have been doubled, arguing that as many as seven additional championships had effectively been “stolen” from the club due to what he described as long-standing irregularities affecting Spanish football.

Perez went on to label the Negreira case “the biggest scandal in football history” and revealed that Real Madrid are preparing a detailed dossier to submit to UEFA. Barcelona responded swiftly, confirming that the club’s legal department is reviewing his accusations and assessing possible legal action, while reiterating its longstanding denial of any sporting wrongdoing linked to the case. The remarks have further intensified tensions between Spain’s two biggest clubs.