Former Real Madrid election rival Riquelme to watch El Clasico from Camp Nou

Enrique Riquelme, a former candidate for the Real Madrid presidency, will attend Wednesday’s El Clasico against Barcelona at Spotify Camp Nou with a group of friends, watching from the stands as he supports the Spanish club.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will not be in the presidential box for the match. The club will instead be represented by vice-president Eduardo Fernandez de Blas and Jose Martinez “Pirri”, the former player who has been Real Madrid’s honorary president since 2023.

Riquelme received 35% of the vote in Real Madrid’s presidential election, held in June. He has regularly attended the club’s away fixtures in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Perez’s absence continues a stance he adopted last season, when he also did not take his place in the presidential box at Barcelona’s stadium. Real Madrid had cut ties with the Catalan club after Barcelona withdrew from the European Super League project.

Riquelme previously watched Atletico de Madrid’s match against Real Madrid from the VIP box at the Metropolitano. According to Mundo Deportivo, that appearance was not well received by Perez.