Spanish football club FC Barcelona has officially announced that it has taken the first steps toward filing a lawsuit against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. This action follows derogatory comments made by the Los Blancos chief directed at Barcelona, in which he claimed that the Catalans had 'stolen' titles from the Spanish capital club with assistance from referees, referencing the Negreira case.
Legal Action Initiated
According to a statement from Barcelona, the club accuses Pérez of defamation and, in accordance with Article 205 of the Spanish Penal Code, has submitted a mandatory request for reconciliation due to statements he made during a press conference on May 12 and in a media interview the following day. Barcelona asserts that it has no intention of causing Pérez any harm but is demanding justice and insists that Pérez withdraw his false accusations against the Catalan club.
Official Statement
The official statement from Barcelona read: 'FC Barcelona reports that today it has filed the required conciliation request prior to filing a lawsuit for the crime of slander under Article 205 of the Penal Code against the President of Real Madrid, Mr. Florentino Perez, as a result of the statements made by him at the press conference on May 12 and in an interview with a media outlet the following day. The objective of this lawsuit is for Mr. Perez to retract certain statements he made knowing them to be false, statements that are slanderous and offensive to the image and reputation of the Club. Should this demand not be properly addressed, FC Barcelona will proceed to file the corresponding criminal complaint.'
Pérez's Previous Remarks
Pérez had previously downplayed the threat of legal action from Barcelona and doubled down on his criticism regarding the Negreira case. He stated, 'Barça would do well to sue me. If they think they should, let them do it.'
