Florentino Perez ‘angered’ by Enrique Riquelme invitation at Madrid derby

Florentino Perez was reportedly angered by the presence of former Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme in the VIP area during Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.

According to Spanish reports, the incident began at a pre-match lunch attended by officials from both clubs. Perez was told during the meal that Riquelme had been invited to Atletico Madrid’s presidential box for the Madrid derby.

Cadena COPE reported that the Real Madrid president reacted furiously and said he would leave the stadium. He also made it clear that he did not want to encounter Riquelme at any point during their time at the venue.

People accompanying Perez managed to calm him, and he eventually decided to remain and watch the match. However, his anger reportedly continued, with the Real Madrid president questioning why Riquelme had been invited to the presidential area.

Riquelme previously stood as a candidate for the Real Madrid presidency, challenging Perez for the position before Perez remained in charge of the club.

The report said Riquelme was not seated in Real Madrid’s box. Instead, he had been invited to Atletico Madrid’s presidential box, where the host club is responsible for selecting the guests.

The dispute in the stands followed a match that also generated controversy over refereeing decisions on the pitch. Atletico Madrid came from the derby with a 2-1 victory, leaving Real Madrid to suffer their second defeat of the season under Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.

Alex Grimaldo and Jonathan David scored Atletico Madrid’s goals, while Antonio Rudiger was on target for Real Madrid.

The result moved Atletico Madrid up to 16 points and into second place, five points behind leaders Barcelona. Real Madrid remained third on 15 points.

The defeat added to a difficult evening for Perez, who had initially considered leaving the stadium after learning that Riquelme would be present in the presidential box. His decision to stay meant he watched Atletico Madrid complete a home victory over their city rivals, despite the tension surrounding the official hospitality area.