Perez vows to battle on at Real Madrid helm
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will not walk away from the club despite their failure to challenge leaders Barcelona in the Primera Liga and their exit from the Champions League.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will not walk away from the club despite their failure to challenge leaders Barcelona in the Primera Liga and their exit from the Champions League.
Getafe's surprise 2-1 win over Real on Sunday left Barcelona, who won 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, with an 11-point lead at the top of the table with 10 games left.
"I am sad but I have not thought about quitting. I have the support of the fans, and in order not to let them down, I have to continue working. I will see out my mandate at this club," Perez told Real's official website.
Perez won re-election to the presidency last year and has a contract at the club until 2008.
Real's elimination from the Champions League by Juventus last week and their poor showing against Getafe, a team placed 15th in the table, has raised the distinct prospect of a second successive season without silverware.
That, and the disintegration of Real's season under former coach Carlos Queiroz in the final run-in of last year's championship, when Real lost six of their last seven games, have undermined Perez's position.
"Now we have to continue fighting and believing we can win the league. We have the best team and we need to stay united so we can finish the season in the best form possible," he added.
"We continue to have faith in our coach (Vanderlei Luxemburgo) and we will carry out a full analysis of our position at the end of the season. We are not planning new signings or contract renewals just now."
Barcelona president Joan Laporta sounded a note of caution over his side's prospects for their first league title since 1999, but found it difficult to hide his optimism.
"Mathematically we have won nothing, but I remain convinced, as I said when we had less of an advantage than now, that we are going to win the league," Laporta told Radio Catalunya.
"We hold our destiny in our own hands, and this is important, but we are not going to start thinking about how we celebrate until we have won the league."
Barcelona have tough matches against Deportivo Coruna, Real Betis and Real Madrid in their next three games, as well as having to play Valencia and third-placed Villarreal before the end of May.
Real Madrid also have to play Villarreal, as well as Sevilla and city rivals Atletico Madrid before the end of the season.