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Following his side's loss to arch-rivals Barcelona, which helped the Blaugrana defend their La Liga title, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez went on an angry rant against referees in the competition, accusing them of stealing "18 points" during this season.
Battling infighting within their own playing group and some injuries, a helpless Real Madrid went 2-0 down to Barcelona at an away fixture, handing their rivals an unassailable 14-point lead, which helped them lift the prestigious top-flight title for the 29th time. On Tuesday, during a presser, an angry Perez went off, saying as quoted by Goal.com, that since his tenure with the club as president, he has won only seven La Liga titles, which should have been 14. "I have won only seven LaLiga titles with Real Madrid!? I should have 14. They stole the other seven from me," he said. Perez said that Madrid's 14-point deficit, with three matches still left, was not due to their own on-field performances, but due to referees, coming down harshly, particularly on the former vice-president of the Spanish Referees' Committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. The referees have stolen 18 points from us in LaLiga," he claimed. There have been allegations that Negreira got above seven million euros from FC Barcelona between 2001-18. The Spanish public prosecutor's office claims that payments were made for favourable decisions on the field, but the club insists they are made for reports and advice, as per Goal.com. "The same referees from the Negreira era are still in action. They're still officiating. That makes no sense," Perez continued. "Barca paid for Negreira's services for two decades, and these referees are still active in the third decade," he added. After a season which has seen the club not lift any major title, including a quarterfinal exit in the UEFA Champions League, Perez, who first took the Real Madrid presidency in 2000, said that he has asked the club's electoral board to start the process for elections for the leadership positions in the club. "I have asked the electoral board to begin the process to start the elections for the board of directors, for which we, this Board of Directors, will be running. I am calling them so everyone knows they are open to everyone, that they can run like I did. I do not give lectures, I do not go where I have to be in the spotlight," he signed off. (ANI)
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