Florentino Pérez will not be punished for his attack on referees

Florentino Pérez will not face disciplinary action for the harsh accusations he leveled against referees on 12 May 2026, during the press conference in which he called elections for the Real Madrid presidency. The instructor appointed by the RFEF Disciplinary Committee has closed the case after ruling that there are not enough grounds to punish the club's top executive, as this outlet has been able to confirm.

• The referees' union reported Florentino Pérez's statements to the RFEF Disciplinary Committee.
• The Real Madrid president spoke of stolen titles, systemic corruption and illicit enrichment by referees.
• Following the complaint, the RFEF opened a case and appointed an investigating judge.
• The instructor concluded that there is no basis to discipline Florentino Pérez.
• The decision comes one day after José Mourinho's criticism of the refereeing in the derby against Atlético.

The Florentino Pérez quotes reported by the referees' union

Three days after that press conference, the referees' union filed a complaint with the RFEF Disciplinary Committee, arguing that the Real Madrid president's words represented a direct attack on the refereeing collective. That same day, the organization submitted a legal report containing the most controversial statements.

I have been here for many seasons and I have won 7 Champions Leagues and 7 Leagues, because the others were stolen from me. Systemic corruption for two decades and it is still the same referees.

The report also included his description of the situation as the biggest corruption case in football history, as well as the accusation of illicit enrichment aimed at referees. It further cited remarks made in an interview with La Sexta, where the Madrid chief doubled down on the idea of systemic corruption and even claimed that Real Madrid had been robbed of 16 to 18 points during the season.

The union argued the accusations went beyond sporting criticism

For the referees' union, these statements could not be protected by legitimate freedom of expression or sporting criticism. Their main argument was that Florentino Pérez did not merely point out isolated refereeing errors, but rather accused the refereeing body of committing an ongoing corruption offence over two decades.

That level of severity is precisely what led the RFEF Disciplinary Committee to open a case and appoint an investigating judge to examine the matter. The process, however, has not resulted in punishment for the Real Madrid president.

The instructor closes the case against the Real Madrid president

The instructor's conclusion is clear: there are no sufficient grounds to impose a disciplinary sanction on Florentino Pérez. As a result, the case opened following the union's complaint is closed without consequences for the club's top official.

The news comes just one day after José Mourinho attacked the refereeing at the end of the derby between Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid. The Portuguese coach focused his criticism especially on VAR official Daniel Trujillo Suárez.

The CTA legal services are analyzing Mourinho's words

Mourinho's comments have not gone unnoticed by refereeing bodies. The legal services of the Technical Committee of Referees, together with the union itself, are studying the content of his words to decide whether to file a complaint with the federation's disciplinary body.

While the Florentino Pérez case is now definitively closed, the refereeing spotlight shifts to the statements made by the Portuguese coach after the latest Madrid derby.

What is at stake for Real Madrid in the final stretch of the season

The closing of the case comes at a moment of maximum competitive tension for the Madrid side. Mourinho's team is still fighting for titles and every refereeing decision is scrutinized closely, especially after the recent public complaints from both the bench and the boardroom.