
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will not attend El Clasico in Barcelona, maintaining his stance from 2023 due to the 'Negreira Case'. This decision highlights ongoing tensions between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Mentioned in this story
Real Madrid president will not change on stance on El Clasico snub – report
According to AS, Florentino Perez will not travel to Barcelona for tomorrow’s El Clasico. The Real Madrid president is maintaining the stance he adopted in 2023 after the eruption of the ‘Negreira Case’, refusing to sit in the directors’ box at FC Barcelona matches.
The Los Blancos chief did not attend the games played at Montjuic in the past couple of seasons and will also stay away from the Spotify Camp Nou this weekend. The position remains firm.
There will also be no meeting between members of the two clubs’ hierarchies, underlining how strained relations between Barça and Real Madrid continue to be.
The decision was made several days ago, although the distance between the two institutions dates back to 19 March 2023, barely a month after the ‘Negreira Case’ became public.
For the first time in 20 years, Perez refused to attend a match at Barcelona’s stadium, and that approach has remained unchanged ever since.
Florentino Perez is not attending El Clasico due to his stance on the 'Negreira Case', which has strained relations between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
The 'Negreira Case' involves allegations of corruption in Spanish football that have affected the relationship between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
Relations between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have become increasingly strained, as evidenced by Perez's refusal to meet with Barcelona's hierarchy and attend matches.


Catch UFC 328 tonight! What time does the fight card start?
Waldo Cortes-Acosta faces Alexander Volkov at UFC 328 this Saturday.
Devonta Smith and Makai Lemon could form a strong duo for the Eagles this season.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Florentino Perez will snub the Clasico at Camp Nou. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
From Barcelona’s side, the feeling is similar. Barcelona were not especially keen on holding a formal directors’ lunch either, particularly after Real Madrid joined the Negreira investigation as a private prosecutor. That move further damaged relations between the clubs.
Saudi Arabia has been the exception. While there were no official directors’ lunches during Spanish Super Cup meetings there, representatives from both clubs did meet informally.
In 2024, for example, club officials gathered at the Spanish embassy in Riyadh alongside representatives from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to pose with the Super Cup trophy.
In La Liga fixtures, however, there have been no directors’ lunches since the controversy began. Earlier this season, the first league El Clasico kicked off at 4:15pm, effectively ruling out any possibility of a formal gathering.
And now, for this latest meeting, Perez will once again stay away from Barcelona, continuing the policy he first introduced in 2023.