Overview
- On Monday June 1 multiple Spanish outlets published an audio attributed to Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez in which he says there was a plan in 2019 to make him “disappear.”
- The recording reportedly names businessman Sánchez Galán and former police commissioner José Manuel Villarejo as linked to alleged spying and says journalists sought material to blackmail Pérez while he denies accepting any extortion.
- Sources that published the leak include Sport and RAC1 and Poder360 reported the clip may originate from a deposition to Spain’s National Court, though that provenance is not independently confirmed.
- Real Madrid had not issued a detailed public rebuttal as of the reports and Pérez has separately attacked challenger Enrique Riquelme’s proposals, intensifying a campaign already marked by sharp rhetoric.
- The June 7 vote is the club’s first contested presidential election since 2006 and the controversy could shape voting debates over governance, membership rules and the club’s public reputation.