Florentino Perez’s relationship with the Real Madrid fans has been up and down
News that Real Madrid are set to invest huge money in a redevelopment project of the Santiago Bernabéu has divided opinion among the fanbase, with many members concerned about the debt the club will acquire.
At the latest members’ assembly, the members voiced those concerns to the club president. They complained of not being given enough information before the news was announced, and asked why the decision was not put to a referendum given the fact that it will cost more than it cost to build the Allianz Arena.
Asked whether Perez felt he should be investing his own money in the project, the Real Madrid president hit back, reminding the fans of all the sacrifices he has made for the benefit of the club.
“The people who are speaking are doing so thank to the fact I put up front 147 million euros in 2000 due to the debt at that time,” he said.
“When I arrived I saw the reality, players weren’t earning, and we had to sign the biggest players. I heard it said that I was crazy when I said this and that I was going to take over Madrid, while I was paying.
“I believed that the best players in the world would take us out of this economic ruin and that is what happened. With a budget of a little more than 100m euros I risked buying Zidane and we went from 100 to 300, and we could pay the debt. These people who are complaining about me should be aware that if I had taken over the club, that if this was possible, then they would not have a voice today.”
Regarding the cost of the stadium, he cited the cost of many stadiums built in England to explain how the investment was necessary.
“All the English stadiums have cost over a billion euros, for some people we would now be still playing at O’Donnell or the Ciudad Lineal,” he explained.
He then went on to reveal some atrocities committed by the Madrid fans during past protests against his policies as president.
“When I took on this role I did it for everyone, I invited those causing violence while I needed also to stop this violence. I cannot say how many times they have put graffiti on my house and even my wife’s gravestone which I have not mentioned up until now,” he said.
