Why Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is boycotting El Clasico this weekend.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is boycotting this weekend's El Clasico fixture with Barcelona, according to reports.

Barca host Real at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium on Saturday, with the game kicking off at 3:15 UK time.

However, because of the 3pm UK blackout rule the game will not be screened live on these shores.

And it's emerged that Perez, in his second term as Real president, will not be in attendance.

MARCA claims he had planned to be present and stand alongside the team for what is expected to be a hostile environment.

However, Jose Luis Sanchez of El Chiringuito de Jugones is reporting that Perez has now changed his stance following on from a comment from Miquel Camps, a Barcelona board member and spokesperson.

Image: Getty

Camps controversially reacted to Vinicius Jr again being subjected to racial abuse in Spain.

Sevilla fans were seen performing monkey gestures to him during the 1-1 draw with Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on Saturday.

But after he showboated in the 2-1 win over Braga on Tuesday night, he was quoted as saying: "It's not racism, he deserves a slap for being a clown. "These stepovers are unnecessary and meaningless on a football pitch."

Real are understandably not happy with the comments but also the fact that no apology has been issued by the Blaugrana.

Image: Getty

Barca's under fire president Joan Laporta and Real's General Manager Jose Angel Sanchez had embraced at the La Liga at the General Assembly, an action which was seen as a major surprise.

There will be no hug with Perez, however. The 76-year-old is missing the El Clasico at Barca's ground for the second consecutive season.

Earlier this year he skipped the 2-1 defeat at the Spotify Camp Nou following the Jose María Enríquez Negreira bribery scandal where it's alleged payments of €7.3 million were made by Barcelona to the former referees' chief over an 18-year period.