Florentino Perez cleared over refereeing allegations as Jose Mourinho faces possible disciplinary action

Florentino Perez will not face disciplinary action over his accusations of “systematic corruption” in Spanish refereeing, while Jose Mourinho could be reported to the Spanish Football Federation after criticising officials following the Atletico Madrid derby.

The Real Madrid president was investigated after making a series of strong claims during a news conference on 12 May, held to announce the club’s election process. The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee has decided that his comments fell within the scope of freedom of expression, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Perez said he had won seven Champions League titles and seven La Liga titles during his time at Real Madrid, but added: “I have spent many seasons here and won seven Champions League titles and seven La Liga titles, because the other titles were stolen from me.”

He then alleged that refereeing corruption had been continuing for 20 years.

“There has been systematic refereeing corruption for two decades, and it is still the same referees who are carrying it out,” Perez said.

In what was described as an unprecedented attack, he also claimed Real Madrid was preparing a 500-page dossier for UEFA.

“We are preparing a 500-page dossier that we will submit to UEFA. It is the biggest corruption case in the history of football,” he said.

Perez also accused referees of benefiting unlawfully, saying: “I did not come here so that some referees could enrich themselves with Barcelona’s money.”

In a subsequent interview with La Sexta, he repeated his accusations, stating: “Systematic corruption… the same referees continue to do the same things, blatantly… They have stolen 16 or 18 points from us this season.”

The referees’ union filed a formal complaint with the disciplinary committee three days later. It argued that Perez’s comments could not be justified as freedom of expression or sporting criticism because he had gone beyond identifying specific refereeing errors and had accused the refereeing organisation of committing an ongoing crime over two decades.

The complaint led to an investigation and the appointment of a special judge. AS reported that the investigating judge found insufficient grounds for disciplinary sanctions against the Real Madrid president. Perez submitted a legal report supporting his position on the same day.

Mourinho under scrutiny

The decision to clear Perez came just one day after another incident involving Mourinho.

At the end of the Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid derby, the Portuguese manager strongly criticised the refereeing performance and specifically targeted VAR referee Daniel Trujillo Suarez.

Unlike Perez’s case, the matter involving Mourinho could now escalate. The Technical Committee of Referees and the referees’ union are considering, in cooperation with the federation’s legal department, whether to submit a formal complaint against the Portuguese coach to the federation’s disciplinary body.

The contrasting cases leave Perez free from punishment while Mourinho faces the possibility of sanctions, adding another chapter to the dispute between Real Madrid and Spain’s refereeing authorities.