Real open probe into alleged manipulation at AGM

Real Madrid will open a probe into press reports that club president Ramon Calderon manipulated last month’s stormy annual general assembly vote in order to get its fiscal accounts for 2008 and 2009 approved.

“We have decided to investigate the matter and we have asked the club’s commission for social discipline to confirm these facts,” the defending Spanish champion’s director for members, Luis Barcena, told a news conference on Tuesday.

“In the case that any club members are found to implicated, they will immediately be expelled from the club,” he added.

Earlier Tuesday sports daily Marca, citing anonymous witnesses and sources which it said were “absolutely reliable”, said Calderon had stacked the December 7 annual general assembly with a significant number of fake delegates in order to get the club’s fiscal accounts and electoral assembly members approved.

The accounts for fiscal year 2009, which forecast a 9.4 percent rise in sales over the previous year to a record 400.2 million euros (536.3 million dollars), were approved with 564 votes in favour, 517 against and 32 abstentions.

The accounts for fiscal 2008 were approved by only a slightly larger margin at the assembly, which was marked by jeering directed at Calderon as well as calls for him to resign over the club’s poor performance this year.

Barcena said access to the assembly was strictly controlled as members had to present their ID cards to enter the conference centre where it was held.

“It was an historic decision, given that nothing of the sort had ever been done,” he said, adding as the club’s director for members he is “solely” responsible for the outcome of the assembly.

At the time of the assembly Real was under fire from many of its supporters as a string of injuries to key players had left it trailing its arch rival Barcelona.

But since the Christmas break the club has started to close the gap and is now in second place with 35 points, 12 fewer than Barcelona.