The Provincial Court of Madrid has upheld a civil ruling against José Manuel Villarejo for statements in which he linked Real Madrid and its president Florentino Pérez to alleged match-fixing.

The former police commissioner must pay €10,000 each to the club and to Pérez for violating their right to honour during a 2023 interview on RAC1. In that broadcast, Villarejo suggested possible manipulation of refereeing decisions and claimed that Pérez was untouchable.

According to the court, the remarks were clearly injurious and lacked any factual basis. The judges ruled that the statements exceeded the limits of freedom of expression, emphasizing that no evidence was presented to support the accusations.

The decision, which can still be appealed, also orders Villarejo to publish the heading and operative part of the ruling in several national and sports newspapers. The compensation set by the court is lower than the €100,000 initially sought by the plaintiffs.

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