Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, has described the information published in French magazine, France Football, suggesting his and his club's involvement in an alleged alliance to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar as "absolutely false".

"It is absolutely false that there was a meeting in October 2009, or on any other date, with the delegation named in the report, nor with any other delegation, nor with the president of the Federación Española de Fútbol, nor with anybody in relation to Qatar's World Cup candidacy", a statement released by Florentino Pérez summarised in its first point.

According to the report in France Football, the president of the Spanish Federation, Ángel Villar, was "at the centre of the negotiations" with Qatar, which in return for the Spanish support, promised to endorse Spain's candidacy for 2018.

France Football alleged that two other key figures in this alliance, whose goal was to "ensure the economic interests for each party", were the former president of Barcelona, Sandro Rosell, and the current president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez.