Real Madrid’s presidential election is officially over, with florentino-perez-wins-real-madrid-presidential-election/" target="_blank">Florentino Perez retaining power after winning a strong mandate over Enrique Riquelme.
In the wake of Perez’s victory, La Liga president Javier Tebas has weighed in with a candid assessment of what the vote revealed about the current state of the club.
Tebas on the election result
While acknowledging Florentino Perez’s clear victory, Tebas was keen to highlight the significance of Enrique Riquelme’s performance as a first-time challenger with minimal campaign time.
“I believe we need to conduct a general analysis. Florentino Perez achieved a good victory, but this young man with the Mexican accent, whom no one knew 15 days ago, garnered 35% of the votes, and that’s not bad at all.
Tebas was impressed by Riquelme’s performance. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
“I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if he had a Spanish accent and had 40 days for the election campaign,” he said (h/t MARCA).
He went on to suggest that the result carried a deeper message for the club’s leadership.
“We are the ones who have spent long years in football, and during the election campaign, we saw the real Florentino, whom I know well. He came out victorious, but the elections revealed another Real Madrid.
“Any president — and I apply this to myself — when there is 35% of the clubs adopting a differing opinion, should always think and reconsider their calculations,” he said.
Tebas was equally pointed on the broader institutional implications.
“If we had asked anyone 30 days ago whether anyone could present themselves as an alternative to Florentino Perez, no one would have imagined it.
Tebas’ feud with Florentino Perez continues. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images For Sportel)
“Within 20 to 25 days, the internal philosophy of the most important club in this country, alongside FC Barcelona, has changed,” he added.
On Mourinho’s return to La Liga
Asked about Jose Mourinho’s imminent return to Spanish football, Tebas seemed rather enthusiastic.
“An exciting matter. I don’t express opinions on the technical aspects, but I previously said that I love a league that features Mourinho and Guardiola because it adds a lot of excitement,” he said.
“We all know him, and he guarantees a lot of interaction and fun,” he concluded.
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