Tuesday, December 16, 2025, 16:47
The war that Florentino Pérez maintains with the arbitration group as a result of the ‘Negreira case’ has intensified in recent hours. First, the president of Real Madrid took advantage of the traditional Christmas meeting with journalists on Monday to demand that the “biggest scandal in the history of football in the world” not go unpunished, and to complain about the damage that in his opinion his team suffers every weekend. This Tuesday, it was Xabi Alonso who supported his boss without hesitation. «Abroad it is very surprising that there are no consequences. It is not very normal and it cannot be taken naturally,” the Madrid coach emphasized about the payment of eight million by Barça to the vice president of referees.
Known and aired the position of the white club, which historically should not have many reasons precisely to complain about the referees, the Spanish Association of Football Referees (AESAF) showed its rejection of Florentino Pérez’s statements “due to the serious damage that this type of demonstrations pose for the reputation of the referee group and Spanish football.” And he criticized “any attempt to personalize attacks or publicly delegitimize referees without foundation.”
The association recalled that the Spanish arbitration establishment “acts with independence, rigor and professionalism, and is not part of any plot or collusion with the interests of clubs or leaders”, after the president assured that “the biggest concern” of the club was “the situation of arbitration in Spain” and that they have been left alone in their attempt to “do justice” in the ‘Negreira case’, “the biggest scandal in the history of football in the world.”
No referee investigated
The AESAF recalled that in this case “no referee has been investigated or charged during the entire investigation period” and that therefore they do not validate “the accusation of corruption” regarding his figure. “The widespread accusations against referees unfairly damage the reputation of professionals who carry out their work under maximum pressure and constant public scrutiny and the cleanliness of the competition itself,” he stressed.
The association “fully respects the work of the judicial authorities” in a procedure “still in progress” and in which “it is essential to preserve the principle of presumption of innocence and avoid statements that could lead to erroneous conclusions in public opinion.” «In our opinion, it is equally very serious to maintain the accusation that the referees have made decisions in favor of a club, or, as a second evolution of the argument, to accuse them that they may be making decisions to penalize another club. These types of statements create a detrimental environment for the normal development of the competition,” he explained.
Along these lines, he considers “the instrumentalization of refereeing as an argument to explain sporting situations to be especially worrying” and thanks and encourages “to make public the signs of support” that the group receives from the FEF, LaLiga, the AFE, the clubs, footballers and coaches. “We believe that by uniting we can improve the competition and recover the prestige it deserves,” he stressed.
The union sees it necessary to remember that “public statements made by leaders, clubs or actors with great media projection do not occur in a vacuum, but rather generate an immediate echo in society and in football culture.” “When this discourse is built from delegitimization or permanent suspicion towards refereeing, it ends up moving to the fields, the stands and grassroots football, where unfortunately it manifests itself in the form of insults, threats and attacks on referees,” he added.
«Falsehoods and excuses»
The entity also expressed its support for Pablo González Fuertes, in charge of the VAR last Sunday in the Alavés-Real Madrid, and all the referees in Spain, “whose professional and personal work deserves institutional and social respect.” “We reject any attempt to personalize attacks or publicly delegitimize referees without foundation,” he asserted, warning that “refereeing cannot be used as an excuse to justify sporting results.” “Football is won and lost on the field of play,” he remarked.
Furthermore, the association called it “falsehood” that Real Madrid accused the referee team of “threats” in the press conference prior to the Copa del Rey final when those statements “were intended to reveal that violence against referees and their family circles in all categories of Spanish football was reaching unacceptable levels.” “In no case, as can be seen in the images, is there a threat against any club, as Real Madrid wants us to believe,” he stressed.
Finally, the AESAF revealed that it has been maintaining “an open, receptive and constructive dialogue” with professional clubs for months “to improve the competition through referee impartiality”, and added that “generally linking the referee team with alleged scandals, without judicial support or concrete evidence, erodes confidence in the system and harms Spanish football as a whole.”
The association understands that this phenomenon “does not distinguish categories” and that “it occurs from formative to professional football”, which is why it reiterates its demand for “institutional responsibility and exemplary leadership on the part of all football actors to stop a spiral that puts at risk the physical, psychological and reputational integrity of those who guarantee the fair development of the competition.”
«The AESAF rejects the unfounded accusations and reiterates its commitment to independence, transparency and the constant improvement of arbitration in Spain. “Football needs responsible institutions that add credibility and respect, not speeches that erode trust and fuel a climate of confrontation with real consequences for the refereeing team,” he said.
