Madrid coach says “I know how the club was before Florentino’s arrival”
Alvaro Arbeloa has thrown his support behind Florentino Perez after the Real Madrid president announced elections following the club’s second consecutive season without a major trophy.
Perez made the announcement during a news conference on Tuesday where he rejected calls to resign and accused sections of the media of running a campaign against him.
Madrid’s 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in Sunday’s clásico confirmed their rivals as La Liga champions and extended Madrid’s trophy drought to two years, the club’s longest run without major silverware since 2006.
Arbeloa defended Perez and praised his impact on the club over the past two decades.
“Any fan who heard the president yesterday would agree with defending the interests of Real Madrid and its members,” Arbeloa said. “If this club has a strength, it is its members and the fans. Nobody will tell us how to think, how to be or how to act.”
Perez has served as Madrid president since 2000, aside from a three-year absence between 2006 and 2009, and has not faced an opponent in an election since returning.
Asked whether he supported Perez remaining in charge, Arbeloa said: “I remember Real Madrid without Florentino Perez. I know how the club was before Florentino’s arrival, and how it’s been in the 26 years with Florentino here. I’d choose these 26 years, for sure, there’s no doubt.
“Alongside Santiago Bernabeu, he’s the most influential person in Real Madrid history. If you ask me, if anyone can turn this situation around, it’s Florentino.”
During Tuesday’s appearance, Perez also claimed Madrid had been “robbed of seven leagues” and said the club would present a dossier to Uefa regarding the Negreira case.
“Yes of course,” Arbeloa said when asked if he agreed with Perez’s comments. “We all know what has happened for over 20 years. We’d all love the [Negreira] case to be resolved.”
Arbeloa rejected suggestions that the current season represented a crisis for Madrid despite the club’s struggles, which included the dismissal of Xabi Alonso earlier in the campaign.
“Where are other clubs then?” Arbeloa said. “It isn’t like we’ve been 50 years without winning anything.
“Would anyone bet against Real Madrid winning something next season? I don’t understand the analysis of institutional instability, of disaster, of a divided dressing room.”
