#5 Interference in team managament
This is one of Perez’s favourites. He never ceases to interfere in matters that should ideally be restricted to the coaching staff. All the coaches who have come and gone during his presidency will bear witness to that.
From Vicente Del Bosque to Carlo Ancelotti, each man will have a story to tell about how they ended up having to choose from players they never wanted to buy or how they had to drop or sell players they wanted to play. Perez had his own ideas regarding team selection. There have been a number of occasions where he is alleged to have dropped players to the bench. Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo was asked if it happened to him and he replied: “Yes, it did happen to me, no doubt about it. But it’s in the past and I move on from that. There’s no issue. I’ve already spoken my feelings. I was calm when I left [Real Madrid]. Everything comes to an end; you move on and look for happiness elsewhere.”
If Perez felt that certain players were opposed to his plans, those players would be forced to move. Club legend and captain Fernando Hierro was one such casualty in 2003. Although he is now back in the club in a coaching capacity, it was a pretty shocking decision back then.
Perez may have a lot of achievements to boast about, but it isn’t difficult to see that his interference in team management played a significant role in affecting the balance and spirit of the squad.