Real´s Perez in bid to return as club president

Former Real Madrid president Florentino Perez on Thursday announced he will be a candidate to return to the post in elections next month.

The hugely successful businessman, once pivotal in bringing a host of top footballers to the club, said he had made the decision following the “serious events” at the reigning Spanish champions in recent months.

Former president Ramon Calderon stepped down in January following allegations that he rigged voting at a general assembly a month earlier.

A judge last week placed him under judicial investigation over the allegations.

He was succeeded by his deputy, Vicente Boluda, who has declared he will not be a candidate in the June 14 elections.

Perez was the president of Real between 2000 and 2006 when the team became known as the ‘Galacticos’ thanks to the presence of players like Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham.

With three games remaining in the current campaign Real are second in the table with an eight-point deficit to arch-rivals Barcelona, who are virtually assured of the title.

Barcelona also won the Kings Cup with a 4-1 rout of Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, and will play Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome later this month.