The Spanish Association of Football Referees (AESAF) has lodged two complaints with the State Commission against Violence, Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance in Sport. One is directed against Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, and the other against the channel Real Madrid TV and the Madrid entity as a club.
These legal actions arise from the controversial statements made by Pérez in a recent press conference, where he lashed out at the refereeing collective, even asserting that leagues had been "stolen" from him and pointing to alleged "systemic corruption".
The Association considers that the reiteration of certain public messages, as well as the continuous dissemination of content that systematically questions or discredits the refereeing collective, contributes to deteriorating the climate of respect necessary for the proper development of sports activity and can foster situations of tension, hostility, or violence towards the officials.
AESAF has emphasized that its institutional role focuses on protecting referees and ensuring they can carry out their activities in an environment of safety and respect. Therefore, they have reaffirmed their commitment to using "legal and institutional channels as a tool to combat any manifestation of violence, harassment, or discredit towards refereeing".
The controversy intensifies at a key moment, as these complaints come during the presidential campaign for the club, adding another chapter to the controversy generated by Florentino Pérez's words.
