Real Madrid presidential candidate Riquelme: I want to see Barcelona relegated

Real Madrid presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme was a guest on Jordi Wild's podcast "The Wild Project," where he discussed topics such as Real Madrid's current situation, Florentino Pérez, Anas Laghrari, and Barcelona. During the interview, Riquelme stated directly that he wants to see Barcelona relegated to the Segunda División and also hopes Barcelona disappears.

Speaking about Anas Laghrari, Riquelme said: "We all want to know who Anas Laghrari really is. He is not in the club's organizational structure, but he seems to be making all the club's decisions. He has absolute power in the club. He talks to banks, to funds, decides what the club should do, who to sign, who not to sign... But the problem is, he doesn't have a clear position in the organizational structure, or arguably any position at all.

Through his company Key Capital Partners, and some other new companies, he charges Real Madrid directly or indirectly. He was also involved in the Super League, as he is a shareholder in A22 Sports Management, the company that founded the Super League. He is also involved in the privatization projects Florentino Pérez is pursuing, including the financing of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, concerts, and matters related to Sixth Street.

Florentino Pérez has said at several general assembly meetings that there must be a strong Barcelona, so he sent Anas Laghrari to help Barcelona find financing, totaling over 300 million euros. Barcelona's subsequent 'lever' operations and player acquisitions are related to this, and he profited from it. We all want to know what role this person plays at Real Madrid."

Speaking about Barcelona, Riquelme said: "I want to see Barcelona relegated to the Segunda División. Of course, I'd like to see that happen, I wouldn't have any objection to it, and I'd be very happy. This is not disrespect. I also hope Barcelona disappears, and I have no problem with that either. Of course, Barcelona is part of football history, but I only want to see Real Madrid win, and only want to see Real Madrid win. As for other teams..."

Subsequently, Riquelme continued to criticize Barcelona. He said: "One more thing, when Barcelona was almost collapsing, someone stepped in to help them. If it were me at that time, I can guarantee that I wouldn't just not help them, I wouldn't even lift a finger. This should have been healthy competition, but if you're competing by paying the vice president of the referee committee..."

Speaking about how he learned of Florentino Pérez's announcement of the Real Madrid presidential election, Riquelme said: "I started receiving a lot of messages, and then I saw my partner's face change, because her phone had a signal at the time. She wasn't really very supportive of me running for Real Madrid president. To be honest, we had previously discussed running in 2029, which was a long-term plan. Florentino suddenly announced the election, and I thought at the time that he couldn't stand the pressure anymore."