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Court Sets Conciliation Hearing for Barcelona Defamation Dispute Against Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez

r/Sports •
Darom AI September 29, 2026
Court Sets Conciliation Hearing for Barcelona Defamation Dispute Against Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez
Court Sets Conciliation Hearing for Barcelona Defamation Dispute Against Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez

Spanish Court Advances Legal Proceedings

A Spanish court has formally advanced the defamation dispute between Barcelona and Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez by scheduling a mandatory conciliation hearing for November 25, 2026, at 9:40 a.m. in Madrid, according to reports from outlets including Marca and Diario de Navarra.

The hearing will take place in Courtrooms 1 and 2 of the Madrid courts. This procedural step moves the legal matter forward following a pre-action conciliation request filed by Barcelona on June 12, 2026, stemming from comments made by Pérez regarding the club's historic referee payments.

Core of the Legal Dispute

Barcelona’s legal action targets public remarks made by Pérez during a press conference on May 12, 2026, followed by a media interview the next day. During those appearances, the Real Madrid president accused the Catalan club of maneuvering for favorable treatment from referees and referred to officials as "Negreira Boys."

According to legal filings outlined by sports reporting agencies, Barcelona is demanding that Pérez retract the statements, asserting that they are false and defamatory. The upcoming conciliation meeting serves as a mandatory pre-trial step under Spanish legal procedure, providing an opportunity for the parties to resolve the matter before formal criminal proceedings begin.

Next Steps and Legal Framework

If Pérez refuses to retract his remarks during the November session, Barcelona has indicated that it will proceed with a criminal complaint for slander under Article 205 of Spain’s Criminal Code. The escalation transforms an ongoing verbal rivalry between two of Spanish football's flagship institutions into a formal judicial matter.

The dispute builds upon the broader background of the Negreira case—an ongoing investigation into payments made by Barcelona to a company owned by the former vice-president of Spain's technical referee committee. While that overarching investigation continues through separate legal channels, the current defamation suit centers strictly on Pérez's specific public characterizations of those events.

Fact Check Analysis AI Verified
--- > **Claim:** A Spanish court has scheduled a mandatory conciliation hearing for the defamation dispute between Barcelona and Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez for November 25, 2026, at 9:40 a.m. in Madrid. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** Search evidence confirms that a Spanish court has set the pre-action conciliation hearing between FC Barcelona and Florentino Pérez for November 25, 2026, at 9:40 a.m. in Madrid. [diariodenavarra.es](https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/deportes/futbol/2026/09/28/barcelona-florentino-perez-veran-juzgado-demanda-calumnias-836873-31.html) --- --- > **Claim:** The hearing is scheduled to take place in Courtrooms 1 and 2 of the Madrid courts, according to reports from outlets including Marca and Diario de Navarra. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** Reporting from *Marca* and *Diario de Navarra* confirms the hearing takes place in the Madrid courts, specifically referencing the relevant courtrooms. [diariodenavarra.es](https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/deportes/futbol/2026/09/28/barcelona-florentino-perez-veran-juzgado-demanda-calumnias-836873-31.html), [marca.com](https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2026/09/28/barca-takes-florentino-to-court-the-date-set-for-the-conciliation-hearing.html) --- --- > **Claim:** Barcelona filed a pre-action conciliation request on June 12, 2026, stemming from comments made by Pérez regarding the club's historic referee payments. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** Official club filings and media reports confirm that Barcelona filed the pre-action conciliation request against Florentino Pérez on June 12, 2026, over his comments concerning referee payments. [sports.yahoo.com](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/barcelona-lawsuit-against-florentino-perez-115000493.html), [FC Barcelona Official Statement](https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/4518553/fc-barcelona-official-statement) --- --- > **Claim:** Barcelona’s legal action targets public remarks made by Pérez during a press conference on May 12, 2026, followed by a media interview the next day. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** The timeframe of Pérez's public remarks, starting with his press conference on May 12, 2026, is documented across multiple news reports detailing the origin of Barcelona's legal challenge. [sports.yahoo.com](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/barcelona-lawsuit-against-florentino-perez-115000493.html), [Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/2026/05/13/real-madrids-president-slams-organised-campaign-to-unseat-him-in-fiery-presser) --- --- > **Claim:** During those appearances, the Real Madrid president accused the Catalan club of maneuvering for favorable treatment from referees and referred to officials as "Negreira Boys." - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** Search results confirm Pérez addressed the Negreira case during his remarks, accusing Barcelona of financial dealings with referees. [Diario de Navarra](https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/deportes/futbol/2026/09/28/barcelona-florentino-perez-veran-juzgado-demanda-calumnias-836873-31.html), [Goal](https://www.goal.com/en/news/a-criminal-lawsuit-barcelona-drag-florentino-perez-to-court/bltb4487e528a6d914b) --- --- > **Claim:** Barcelona is demanding that Pérez retract the statements, asserting that they are false and defamatory, as part of the mandatory pre-trial conciliation step under Spanish legal procedure. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** Spanish legal procedure requires a pre-trial conciliation act (*acto de conciliación*) where the aggrieved party seeks a retraction before initiating criminal proceedings for slander or calumny. [diariodenavarra.es](https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/deportes/futbol/2026/09/28/barcelona-florentino-perez-veran-juzgado-demanda-calumnias-836873-31.html), [FC Barcelona Official Statement](https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/news/4518553/fc-barcelona-official-statement) --- --- > **Claim:** If Pérez refuses to retract his remarks, Barcelona will proceed with a criminal complaint for slander under Article 205 of Spain’s Criminal Code. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** Legal filings and club communications establish that failure to reach an agreement or secure a retraction at the conciliation hearing will be followed by a criminal complaint under Article 205 of the Spanish Criminal Code. [sports.yahoo.com](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/barcelona-lawsuit-against-florentino-perez-115000493.html), [BOE (Official State Gazette)](https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1995-25444) --- --- > **Claim:** The dispute builds upon the broader background of the Negreira case—an ongoing investigation into payments made by Barcelona to a company owned by the former vice-president of Spain's technical referee committee. - **Verdict:** Verified - **Analysis:** The context of the Negreira case—referencing payments made by Barcelona to a company owned by former referee vice-president José María Enríquez Negreira—is accurate and widely documented. [diariodenavarra.es](https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/deportes/futbol/2026/09/28/barcelona-florentino-perez-veran-juzgado-demanda-calumnias-836873-31.html) ---

AI Research Queries

  • 🔍 Barcelona Florentino Perez conciliation hearing date November 25 2026 Marca Diario de Navarra
  • 🔍 Barcelona pre action conciliation request Florentino Perez June 12 2026
  • 🔍 Florentino Perez press conference May 12 2026 Negreira Boys Barcelona
  • 🔍 Article 205 Spain Criminal Code slander Barcelona Florentino Perez criminal complaint

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