Officially. Due to stolen points… an unprecedented escalation against Perez from Barcelona

Barcelona have officially announced that they are taking legal action against Real Madrid president Florentino Perez over allegations of defamation, amid statements the Catalan club have described as “false and insulting” to his reputation.

Barcelona said in an official statement published on its website that it had sent a formal legal warning to Perez asking him to retract his statements before filing criminal charges under Article 205 of the Spanish Criminal Code.

The lawsuit is based on Perez’s statements at a press conference on May 12 and an interview with the media the following day, when he announced his candidacy for Real’s presidential election.

Peres announced at that time. “We left empty-handed and I’ve been here for I don’t know how many seasons and I’ve only won 7 Champions League titles and 7 league titles and I could have won 14 titles if they hadn’t been stolen from me. We’ve made a video about the 18 points that have been stolen from us this season and I can’t shut up about it.”

Barcelona explained that the legal action was aimed at forcing Perez to retract his statements, which he described as “defamatory and offensive to the image and reputation of the club”, stressing that the Real Madrid president had made them “know that they are false”.

The Catalan club have warned that if Perez refuses to retract his statements or ignore the warning, it will pursue criminal charges in Spanish courts, a move that represents an unprecedented escalation of the historic rivalry between Spain’s two biggest clubs.

Below we present the statement released by “Barcelona” in full.

Barcelona announced today that it has filed a settlement request before filing a defamation suit against Real Madrid president Florentino Perez under Article 205 of the Criminal Code following statements he made at a press conference on May 12 and in an interview with the media the following day.

The purpose of this lawsuit is to force Mr. Perez to retract certain statements he made that he knew were false, defamatory and damaging to the club’s image and reputation.

If this requirement is not properly fulfilled, then “Barcelona” will initiate a corresponding criminal case.