The presidential situation at Real Madrid is becoming increasingly tense after another challenger reportedly decided to enter the race against Florentino Perez.
According to reports emerging from The Objective, businessman Eugenio Martinez Bravo has now decided to contest the upcoming Real Madrid elections, adding further uncertainty to a political battle that has rapidly escalated over the past few days.
As per the outlet, Martinez Bravo, who serves as CEO of Kreab Iberia, is already working to unite figures inside the Madrid ecosystem who have grown increasingly critical of Perez’s management in recent years.
Notably, the move comes shortly after Enrique Riquelme also publicly emerged as a possible candidate following Perez’s surprise decision to call early elections.
Details of the matter
Within the opposition circles, there is a growing belief that the current climate around the club represents the best opportunity in years to seriously challenge Perez’s long-standing control over Real Madrid.
Florentino Perez has a new contender in the presidential elections. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
That feeling has intensified after the team’s disappointing season and the press conference held by Perez earlier this week, where the president launched attacks against the media, referees and several institutions connected to Spanish football.
Martinez Bravo is now attempting to gather support from multiple influential Madrid figures in order to create a united opposition candidacy rather than splitting votes between several challengers.
An old candidate
As per the outlet, Martinez Bravo already attempted to enter the presidential race back in 2009 but was unable to meet one of the most difficult conditions required to officially participate in the elections.
Under Real Madrid’s electoral rules, candidates must provide a bank guarantee worth 15% of the club’s annual budget, a figure that currently stands at approximately €178 million.
After failing to do so in 2009, the businessman is now scheduled to meet with several financial institutions as he attempts to finalise the required guarantees and avoid repeating the same problem.