In the midst of the controversy that has surrounded Real Madrid after the UEFA controversy over referee Negreira, president Florentino Pérez has tried to justify the alleged influence of the referees on the club's results. According to his story, the difference between the number of League and Champions titles that the team has won in recent years would be evidence that the “bribed” referees have stolen seven Leagues. However, an unexpected testimony from Luka Modric, the Croatian captain with 13 years in the Madrid squad, has cast doubt on that theory.
Modric, who has won six Champions Leagues but only four Leagues with Real Madrid, spoke in a recent interview about the “suspicious” lack of league titles in his history. The player explained that the main reason for the difference is the club's strategy: "If we win fewer leagues than the Champions League, it is because we do not focus as much on the league. We thought we could rectify it in the league, but in the Champions League there was no margin for error," he stated. “We knew that an elimination in the group stage meant the end of the road for the Champions League, so we couldn't fail,” he added. Modric also pointed out that, although the club always believed it could recover points in the league, Barcelona was very strong and “wouldn't let us take away those points,” which explains why Real Madrid has won fewer Leagues than Champions Leagues in recent years. “I wouldn't change anything, but it's our fault that we haven't won more leagues,” he concluded.
The Croatian also explained that the difference between the league and Champions League titles has nothing to do with the supposed influence of the referees, but rather with the way the club prioritizes competitions. “In the Champions League we cannot fail, but in the league we always believed we could recover points,” explained Modric. “Barça was very strong and didn't let us take away those points,” he added. The player also stated that he would not have changed anything in the club's strategy, although he recognizes that Real Madrid has not won as many Leagues as the Champions League.
Regarding the documentation that Florentino Pérez has presented to UEFA, it has not been confirmed whether Modric's testimony has been included in the 50,000 documents that the president has delivered within the framework of the investigation into referee Negreira. However, the Croatian's testimony has cast doubt on Pérez's theory that the referees have stolen seven league titles from Real Madrid. The club remains under scrutiny by UEFA, and the investigation continues.