Florentino Perez to Attend El Clasico After Strained Relations

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez’s Return to El Clasico

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is expected to make a return to El Clasico, but this time at Montjuic, after his absence at Camp Nou last season.

For the first time during Perez’s tenure as President of Real Madrid, he chose not to attend the game against Barcelona at Camp Nou last season due to strained relations between the two clubs. The tension escalated when Barcelona faced a bribery case involving payments made to former Vice-President of the Referees Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. In response, Barcelona’s President Joan Laporta accused Real Madrid of being “Franco’s team,” referring to the club’s perceived favoritism under the former dictator Francisco Franco.

In the midst of this dispute, Real Madrid released a four-minute video arguing that Barcelona, not Real Madrid, was favored by the dictator, despite historical tensions. The animosity reached a point where Perez decided not to attend the traditional director’s lunch or the game at Camp Nou, marking an unprecedented event. However, Real Madrid emerged victorious, winning their semi-final second leg of the Copa del Rey 4-0.

Now, reports from Cadena Cope suggest that Perez plans to attend the upcoming Clasico. Tensions have seemingly eased in recent months, with Barcelona President Joan Laporta even seen embracing Real Madrid General Director Jose Angel Sanchez during a recent La Liga assembly. Despite past disputes and allegations of biased decisions, the relationship between the two clubs appears to be improving.