The Spanish Football Referees' Association (AESAF) has issued a statement opposing recent public comments made by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. In his previous Christmas address, Pérez once again criticized Barcelona and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) regarding the Negreira case, stating that Real Madrid's biggest concern is the state of refereeing.
The Spanish Referees' Association stated as follows:
The Spanish Football Referees' Association (AESAF) strongly opposes the recent public remarks by Mr. Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid. Such remarks have seriously damaged the reputation of the refereeing community and Spanish football.
• The Spanish refereeing team carries out its work in accordance with the principles of independence, rigor and professionalism, and has never engaged in collusion or conspiracy with any club or management interest group.
• In the so-called "Negreira case", no referees have been investigated or accused during the entire investigation process. We cannot accept the allegations of referee corruption.
• General accusations against referees unfairly harm the reputation of these professionals, who work under immense pressure and constant public scrutiny, and also undermine the fairness of the games themselves.
• We believe that refereeing should not be used as an excuse to explain match results. Football victories and defeats depend on on-field performance.
• The Referees' Association expresses its support to referee González and all Spanish referees. Their professionalism and personal dedication deserve the respect of institutions and society. We firmly oppose any unwarranted attacks or public smears against individual referees.
We state that the threat allegations made at the press conference for the 2024-25 Copa del Rey final are inconsistent with facts and at least constitute false statements.
• The Spanish Football Referees' Association warns that public remarks by any influential person will directly affect football culture and refereeing culture, and directly or indirectly lead to violence and attacks against referees at all levels.
• For months, the Spanish Football Referees' Association has maintained open, inclusive and constructive dialogue with representatives of professional clubs, aiming to improve the quality of competitions through refereeing fairness.
The Spanish Football Referees' Association reiterates that refereeing is the core cornerstone of ensuring fair competition. Linking the refereeing community generally to the so-called scandal without judicial support and specific evidence will shake public trust in the refereeing system and damage the overall image of Spanish football.
The club's continuous dissemination of false remarks may create an atmosphere of anti-sportsmanship in Spanish competitions, which is extremely serious.
Regarding the so-called Negreira case, the Referees' Association fully respects the work of judicial authorities and emphasizes that the case is still under trial. To date, no referees have been accused or investigated during the entire investigation process, so the presumption of innocence must be observed.
