Exactly what was to be expected from the 79-year-old was unclear, with Madrid simply stating that he would "appear in the press room of Real Madrid City after the Board of Directors meeting and will address the media in a press conference."
"I regret to tell you that I am not going to resign," he said, announcing instead that a presidential election would be taking place.
"I have made that decision because an absurd situation has been created, caused by campaigns against Real Madridâs interests and against me. The results have not been the best, but in sport you do not always win. They are taking advantage of the situation to attack me personally.
"Some have said that I have terminal cancer... Iâd like to take this opportunity so that the people who have been worried about me know that I remain president of Real Madrid and my company, that my health is perfect; I couldnât be in both places if my health were not perfect. If I had cancer as has been said, I would have to go to an oncology center; if I had gone, wouldnât it have appeared everywhere in the world?"
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"To those behind this campaign, moving in the shadows: let them stand in the elections, now they have the chance to do so. Iâm going to stand to defend Real Madridâs interests."
"And Iâm sorry, because my father read ABC and subscribed me many years ago, but now I have made the decision that Iâm going to cancel my ABC subscription to honor my father, who will thank me for it."
"Along the way we have come across a corruption case like the Negreira case, the biggest case in history," he said. "It is incomprehensible that we see referees from that time, who have been around for two decades. We are going to go to UEFA so they can stamp it out at the root, for the good of world football, over the Negreira case."
He went on to say, "Iâm standing to return the clubâs assets to its members, because from what I see day by day, theyâre being taken away from them. Some journalists want me gone, and not only am I not going anywhere, but Iâm standing in the elections because I want Madrid to continue belonging to its members."
"It cannot be that there is suspicion of corruption paid for over 20 years (by Barcelona). I did not come here so referees could enrich themselves with Barcelonaâs money."
Regarding the elections
"Heâs calling them so there can be candidates. That gentleman who talks to the electricity companies and has a South American accent should stand. A Mexican accent."
He went on to add, "For me the leak is worse than the fight. The next day theyâre friends and go have coffee. In my 25 years of history itâs the first time Iâve seen it.
"I think itâs very wrong and I think itâs worse that they brought it to light. Iâve been here 26 years and there hasnât been a single one in which two players, or four, havenât fought."
"I havenât gone to the doctor, let an oncologist in Madrid who has treated me tell me. Itâs just that friends have called me and told me Iâm terminally ill," he said.
"Iâm going to finish off all the bad guys. Iâm not going to stop, have no doubt about that. Iâm of an age, I have a company. Last year we grew by 65 percent last year. Itâs as if after that they come after me. But theyâre not ashamed of what happened with Negreira."
"We call them 'the intellectuals of the regime.' We are the best team in the world, why do I have to put up with them saying Madrid is in chaos... And whoever wants to run, let them run. I have enough money to preside over the club without anything shady going on."
"There is a conspiracy of journalists who think they run Real Madrid," he said. "They have even said that we are broke. The stadium has cost what a stadium costs."
