Slander Lawsuit
Barcelona Files Mandatory Conciliation Claim Against Florentino Pérez for Alleged Slander
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Key Points
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Florentino Pérez previously dismissed Barcelona’s threat in unusually direct terms, saying: “Barça would do well to sue me. If they think they should, let them do it,” before Barça filed the mandatory conciliation step.
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In its official filing, Barcelona said the conciliation claim is intended to force Pérez to retract “certain statements that he made with knowledge of their falsity and which are slanderous and offensive to the image and reputation of the Club,” framing the action around intent/knowledge as well as alleged defamatory content.
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Barcelona described the process as an “obligatory conciliation lawsuit” filed under Article 205 as a prerequisite “prior to bringing a complaint for libel,” calling it a preliminary step before any criminal complaint for defamation/libel.
FC Barcelona has filed a formal legal claim against Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, demanding he retract statements the club calls "slanderous and offensive." FC Barcelona announced the mandatory conciliation filing on June 12, 2026 — the first required step under Article 205 of Spain's Penal Code before any criminal complaint for slander can proceed.
The move follows Pérez's May 12 press conference, where he claimed he "should have had 14" La Liga titles but that seven were "stolen" from him — a direct reference to the Negreira corruption case. Pérez had previously dared Barcelona to act, saying: "Barça would do well to sue me. If they think they should, let them do it," according to Mundo Deportivo.
What Pérez Said and Why Barcelona Is Suing
At an emergency press conference on May 12, Pérez told reporters he had "won seven La Liga titles" that were taken from Real Madrid through corrupt officiating, beIN Sports reported. A day later, he called Barcelona the "main player in the biggest corruption scandal in soccer history." On June 9, he escalated further, urging UEFA to strip Barcelona of historic titles.
Barcelona says those statements were made with "knowledge of their falsity." The club's filing asks Pérez to retract "certain statements" it calls "slanderous and offensive to the image and reputation of the Club," according to Yahoo Sports. If Pérez refuses, Barcelona warns it will file a full criminal complaint.
The Negreira Case: How a €8.4M Payment Fuels the Feud
The dispute grows out of the "Causa Negreira," a years-long investigation into roughly €8.4 million in payments Barcelona made between 2001 and 2018 to companies owned by José María Enríquez Negreira. Negreira was the former Vice President of Spain's refereeing committee. Barcelona says the money paid for technical reports. Prosecutors say it was meant to secure favorable officiating.
In May 2024, a Spanish court dropped "official's bribery" charges, ruling Negreira was not a "public official." The case continues under "sports corruption" charges. The judicial investigation is currently extended through September 2026, TalkSport reported. No court has found that any match results were altered.
How Spanish Slander Law Forces a Showdown
Under Article 205 of the Spanish Penal Code, slander means "falsely accusing someone of a crime with knowledge of its falsity." Before filing a criminal complaint between private parties, the law requires a "mandatory conciliation" — a formal attempt to reach a retraction or settlement first. Barcelona's June 12 filing triggers that process, Dexerto reported.
Legal analysts say the filing is a strategic move. By suing for slander, Barcelona forces Pérez to prove "title theft" in a court of law — a much higher bar than the current sports corruption probe requires. If no retraction comes, the next step is a full criminal complaint filed before a judge.
Reactions Range From Players to UEFA Lobbying
Barcelona player Fermín López pushed back on Pérez's claims in plain terms: "Pérez's words cannot be true because Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, and Xavi Hernández played. Geniuses won those titles, not referees," according to beIN Sports. The Spanish Association of Football Referees also called for an apology, saying Pérez's comments undermined the integrity of all officials.
Some analysts argue Pérez's aggressive posture is partly a distraction from Real Madrid's trophyless 2025–26 season and the underperformance of high-profile signings Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham. Meanwhile, Pérez has separately lobbied UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin to sanction Barcelona outside of Spanish courts, adding an international dimension to the dispute, TalkSport noted.
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