Pérez remains Madrid president

Florentino Pérez will remain in charge of Real Madrid CF for another four years after claiming a landslide victory in Sunday's presidential election.

Construction magnate
The 57-year-old head ACS-Dragados, Spain's largest construction company, won 94 per cent of the vote of the 31,007 club members who voted in person on Sunday to ensure a second term as president, up from 55 per cent four years ago. Former president Lorenzo Sanz, who lost his role to Pérez in 2000, polled just 1,222 votes today and the third candidate, Arturo Baldasano, 513.

Pérez speaks
"The voice of the Real Madrid members has been expressed clearly and emphatically," Pérez told supporters at his electoral headquarters after the results were announced. "Today Real Madrid has won and the future has won. I know what challenges I face after this victory and I take on this responsibility in the knowledge that the only limits of Real Madrid are the dreams of its members." 

Financial problems solved
Madrid members clearly decided that despite the team's disappointments on the pitch last season, during which they failed to win a trophy for the first time in five years, Pérez was still the best man to lead the club. Although his rivals argued that Madrid are still heavily in debt, Pérez said he had solved the club's financial problems as a result of the sale of its city-centre training ground and improved marketing.

Retractable roof
Pérez, who made much of his ability to bring the leading names in world football such as Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham to Madrid, has pledged to construct a €29m retractable roof for the club's Santiago Bernabéu home.