The ball hasn't even rolled in Madrid yet, but the noise machine has already been set in motion in the capital. Once again, Real Madrid TV, Florentino's channel, has kicked off the season with a message that surprises no one.
The competition is "rigged," "altered," and "manipulated." That's the narrative before it even begins.
It's the same speech as always, but increasingly exaggerated and worn out.
The club's official channel has started its new season programming by targeting referees, the organization, and its rivals.
It also complains because LaLiga doesn't allow Real Madrid to play the regular tournament on its own terms. They want special treatment and to start LaLiga later, as if Real Madrid's participation in the Club World Cup were the fault of the other teams.
It's a formula that works with its most loyal fans. But from the outside, it's seen for what it is. An attempt to influence decisions before the first minute is played, all very calculated.
Victims before the first match
In a report lasting more than 30 minutes, Real Madrid TV has provided a detailed review of the referees appointed for the opening matchday. With names and statistics in hand, they try to prove there's a current against them.
The curious thing is that they don't complain about a specific mistake or a controversial decision. They complain about the entire system. It's even more curious that, at Florentino Pérez's request, the Federation has completely overhauled the refereeing body.
Only Yolanda Parga, the wife of Mejía Dávila, Real Madrid's delegate, has survived. Another Negreira case, but muted.
Not even Xavi Hernández dared to go that far
In Barcelona, they've already seen this kind of behavior. Xavi Hernández was heavily criticized when he spoke about feelings or the state of the field. On Real Madrid TV, they laughed at him for looking for excuses for his defeats.
What Real Madrid TV is doing goes several steps further. It's an institutional campaign, paid for by the club, with a clear narrative: if they win, it's a feat. If they lose, it's because they're robbed.
The most striking thing is that Xabi Alonso himself, the new coach, has avoided falling into that game since his arrival. He wants to focus on sports.
From above, they're setting the boundaries for him. The official narrative is already written and the pressure on referees and the bodies that govern soccer has begun. As it does every year.
Calculated pressure
In the offices of the Federation and LaLiga, this kind of message isn't well received. They're seen as a crude attempt to intimidate the referees. No one acts.
Madrid knows it has free rein to play with public opinion. Real Madrid TV is its perfect loudspeaker.
Meanwhile, the other clubs watch. At Barça, for example, they recall how last season ended with scandalous plays not reviewed by VAR. Or the distribution of penalties, clearly favorable to Real Madrid.
They didn't produce a documentary series. They prefer to speak on the field. In Madrid, on the other hand, they've already started complaining, even though the league hasn't started yet.
Florentino's channel starts the season playing the victim
Real Madrid TV also raises its voice against LaLiga. For not allowing the club to delay its league debut after playing the Club World Cup in mid-July.
Real Madrid TV has activated victim mode with a documentary denouncing the "lack of sensitivity" of the championship organizers.
According to its narrative, the team needs more rest after playing the international tournament. They don't understand why they haven't been granted additional time. They say LaLiga is "rigged from the start."
They demand special treatment for being Madrid
In the report aired this Monday, the club's channel expresses outrage because the schedule hasn't been changed to benefit its interests.
Even though they finished the Club World Cup more than three weeks ago, they consider the vacation insufficient. There's no time for a proper preseason.
Curiously, PSG, which was a finalist and finished later, has its first official match, the UEFA Super Cup, on August 13. No one has complained.
Xabi Alonso, newly arrived, has barely been able to work with the full squad. The club uses this as an argument to justify its anger.
It's not a veiled criticism: it's a clear and direct campaign against the bodies of Spanish soccer, for mistreating Real Madrid.
They forget that the league already waited
What they don't mention in that report is that LaLiga did take the club's schedule into account. Real Madrid won't debut until Monday, August 19, the last to do so. It will face Getafe at Santiago Bernabéu, with more than enough time to recover.
At Barça, they can't believe it. They recall previous grievances like the postponed match against Osasuna, which had to be played without its South American internationals, who were playing in Copa América. Wasn't that rigging the competition?
Preemptive complaints in case something goes wrong
This complaint fits into a known strategy: shaping the narrative from the first minute. If the team starts poorly, there will already be an excuse. If Xabi Alonso doesn't win, it'll be blamed on the planning.
The message has already been sent: "They don't let us compete on equal terms." Victims before the first whistle.
In reality, there's no plot. What there is, is a schedule that's the same for everyone. In Valdebebas, they always want the coin toss to go Madrid's way.
If they don't get it, they complain. If they lose, they accuse. If they're not allowed to change the league to their liking, they consider it a direct attack.
Soccer hasn't started yet. The usual noise is already back.