President of Real Madrid Florentino Perez has decided not to attend the Clasico due to growing tensions between the two biggest teams in Spain.
Florentino Perez has declined to go to his team's game this
weekend against Barcelona.
Perez is not going
to the Clásico
likewise declined
to go in April 2023
Growing pressure on
Barcelona in the Negreira case
WHAT TAKEN PLACE?
Perez was scheduled to attend the match on Saturday afternoon in the director's
box at the Olympic stadium, but The Athletic reports that he has decided not to
go because of a number of recent occurrences. A social media post purporting to
refute bigotry aimed towards Vinicius Jr. was made by a member of the Barcelona
leadership, and it has apparently infuriated the Real Madrid hierarchy.
Concerns over the building accusations made against Barcelona in the Negreira
case are also present.
THE BIGGER PICTURE:
Tensions between Spain's two largest teams have resurfaced after a few years of
rather calm relations. A video that Barcelona tweeted last year connected Real
Madrid to Francisco Franco, the dictator of Spain. The two sides came to a
standstill until Los Blancos retaliated.
VERDICT: In a
pre-match press conference on Saturday, Carlo Ancelotti supported Perez's
decision to skip the game, saying, "I know the president makes decisions
that are best for the club." Every decision he makes is intended to
benefit the club.