Louzán: "Florentino told me that the referees are disadvantaging us and you need to resolve it"

Rafael Louzán, President of the Spanish Football Federation, revealed in an interview with Josep Pedrerol that Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez expressed his concerns about refereeing in Spain, claiming that his team has been disadvantaged on numerous occasions.

In a preview of the interview, which will be broadcast in full this Thursday on 'El Cafelito', Louzán recounted a conversation he had with Pérez in Saudi Arabia a year ago: "He pulled me aside and said: 'You need to resolve this referee issue that's disadvantaging us. We've lost many titles because of the referees.'"

The President of the RFEF also revealed that Florentino Pérez even considered the possibility of bringing in foreign referees to officiate matches in Spain: "Florentino told me one day that he was going to bring English referees to officiate. I replied: 'Well, let's see how we do that then.'"

Louzán stated that his relationship with Florentino Pérez is good and predates his presidency of the FEF, although he noted that the Real Madrid President is persistent on the refereeing issue. He explained that upon taking office, he conveyed to Pérez the intention to start afresh and maintain good relations. Additionally, he acknowledged that the Madrid leader frequently reminds him of the 'Negreira Case' and urges him to resolve it, but insisted that the matter is in the hands of the judiciary.

Louzán has only been at the helm of the FEF for a month, yet he has already been at the centre of several media controversies. He has led negotiations to renew the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, a tournament marked by allegations of harassment against women. Among the most notable cases is that of Cristina Palavra, wife of footballer Dani Rodríguez, who suffered inappropriate touching and was photographed without her consent by local fans. Furthermore, his absence from the women's Super Cup final, due to weather issues, sparked criticism. During his stay in Arabia, he also opened the door for the women's Super Cup to be held in the Arab country.