Tuesday Football

05 May 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Madrid elections begin in earnest

It's voting season in the capital of club football. And with election day just two months away, the candidates are in full campaign mode—vigorously strategizing ambitious platforms and promising everything from Ronaldo to the man on the moon.

When Real Madrid were effectively ousted from the title race after Sunday's humiliating 6-2 defeat at home to Barcelona, the club's membership turned their attention to the battle to succeed Ramon Calderon as president of the world's biggest sporting property. As expected, they were immediately guaranteed the signings of several European superstars.

Florentino Perez—architect of the not-so-successful Galacticos era—is considered the frontrunner to replace Calderon. Formerly a local and national politician, Perez is as experienced and polished as they come. Since resigning the presidency in February 2006, he has been biding his time with civil engineering firm Actividades de Construccion y Servicios (ACS) where he has served as president for 12 years.

Central to his comeback bid is the return of Zinedine Zidane. Not as a player, of course. Rather, Perez is keen to bring the French football icon back to the Bernabeu in the role of director of football, replacing the controversial Peja Mijatovic. Perez also fancies AC Milan forward Kaka, although he has yet to include the Brazilian in his campaign platform.

On Monday, however, Perez revealed the names of three players he will attempt to sign upon winning the presidency. They are Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas. Of course, Madrid presidents can name-drop all they wish; they still have to do the business. But when the nine-time European champions express an interest in a player—any player, it's not often that he plugs his ears.

Despite the high-profile promises, Perez will face stiff competition from another former Madrid president, Lorenzo Sanz.

The 66-year-old was king of the Meringues from 1995 to 2000 after serving as the club's director for a decade. He famously ended Madrid's 32-year slump in the European Cup, delivering two continental championships between 1998 and 2000. He currently owns La Liga side Malaga and has expressed interest in purchasing Italian club Bari. It's not known how he would handle the obvious conflict of interest, should he win the presidency in July.

Juan Villar Mir is another candidate to watch. He was the first individual associated with Madrid to make an attempt to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu when he ran for the presidency in 2006. His bid is backed by co-candidate Carlos Sainz, a former rally driver. The two have also pledged to bring Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to the club.

A fourth candidate—Eduardo Garcia—insists he already has a standing agreement with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba. The Ivorian would be unveiled immediately after his election, he announced yesterday. He is also thought to have already negotiated similar deals with Racing Santander left-back Ivan Marcano and Palmeiras ace Keirrison.

Twitter.com/petersjerrad

jerradpeters@gmail.com