Real Madrid president Florentino Perez calls for elections, hits out at media and denies illness in bizarre press conference

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez called for elections at the club in an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday.

The Spanish giants organised a press conference at short notice, leading to speculation as to whether Perez may resign or announce Jose Mourinho as the club's next manager.

The 79-year-old quickly clarified any uncertainty over his position, insisting he was "not going to resign" in front of the media at Valdebebas.

The Real Madrid president then called for fresh elections and hit out at what he deemed was a campaign against him by some media outlets.

Perez calls for elections, denies illness in press conference

"I'm going to call an election," Perez told reporters. "I've asked the electoral committee to begin the process of organising elections for the board of directors, of which this Board of Directors will stand as candidates.

"At Real Madrid, there is no single owner; it is the 1,000 members who make up the club.

"I have taken this decision because an absurd situation has arisen, caused by campaigns against the interests of Real Madrid and against me. The results haven't been the best, but in sport you don't always win."

Perez also dismissed any rumours that he may be unwell, reassuring those present that his health is in good shape.

"Some people have said I have terminal cancer. I’m still the president of Real Madrid and my company. I’m the president of a company which is a world leader in infrastructure, which has 170,000 employees and makes €50billion per year, and my health is perfect.

“Because I couldn’t be in both places if I didn’t have perfect health. I don’t know why that rumour has come up. Because if they tell me I have cancer, I’d have to go to an oncological centre for them to look at me.

"You think that if I went to an oncological centre and they’d seen me, it wouldn’t have appeared everywhere? It’s not true. They’ve invented it and that rumour has grown.”

Real Madrid's season goes from bad to the bizarre

Real Madrid's season has become mired in off-field issues in recent times, including Kylian Mbappe's impromptu break to Italy, which drew criticism from those who felt he should have continued his injury recovery in Madrid.

Then the news of a reported training ground slap by Antonio Rudiger on Alvaro Carreras was followed by an altercation between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde.

The latter sustained a concussion and the pair were both fined €500,000 (£432,000) for their roles in the incident.

To make matters worse for Real Madrid, Barcelona sealed the league title with a 2-0 win in Sunday's Clasico at Camp Nou.

Given recent events, Real Madrid supporters must have thought things could not get any worse, but Perez took it upon himself to put the club back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

What appeared to be an attempt to demonstrate his control, Perez's unusual press conference reflected a club in complete chaos and culture that desperately needs to change.

Perez, who has not held elections since 2009, will surely win any election campaign given his power and influence in the Spanish capital, but his Donald Trump-like display in front of the media will not inspire fans with confidence that he can address the issues that need solving ahead of next season.