Iker Casillas' agent: 'Florentino Perez isn't a racist but he doesn't like black players'

Want Backheel Breakfast in your inbox? Sign up for the email version here.

Santos Marquez, a representative for Iker Casillas, gave a pretty excellent interview about his client's departure from Real Madrid over the weekend. Here's the juiciest part.

Why did your relationship with Florentino end?

For Makelele, for a lack of respect. Florentino doesn't like black players; he's not a racist but he doesn't like them. I also fought with him over Eto'o. Samuel was just as much a galáctico as Figo. He left for the colour of his skin.

Right. He's one of those folks who doesn't like black people but isn't racist. OK.

There's a lot of other great stuff here too. Marquez said that Perez "thinks of himself as Madrid's god but he only causes unrest," and that "he hasn't uttered one single truth in years." The whole interview is worth a read.

In the news

FIFA will hold a presidential election on February 26. (BBC)

Josep Maria Bartomeu has been re-elected as Barcelona president. (FC Barcelona)

Lokeren player Keleti Toure has died in a car accident. He is the second player at the club to pass away this year, after Gregory Mertens. (Lokeren)

Hulk says he deals with racism in Russia during every game. (Reuters)

Expect Wayne Rooney to play as a lone center forward this season. (Guardian)

All of Barca's Copa America players are taking preseason tours off. (ESPN FC)

Here's Chelsea's ugly away kit. (Mirror)

Kolo Toure's had a dog for seven years and never touched it. (Echo)

You should be reading

Brian Blickenstaff on how currency fluctuations affect the transfer market. (Vice)

Jonathan Aspey on the resurgence of Torino, a club with a tragic history. (These Football Times)

Mark Murphy on Andrew Jennings' role in the FIFA scandal and congressional hearing. (Two Hundred Percent)

Fun with transfer rumors

The section in which nothing should be taken seriously. It's rumor season, so this section will be expanded, and as the summer rolls on, it will probably be bigger than the actual news section.

Roma aren't getting the Edin Dzeko deal done quickly, so Arsenal might swoop. (Star)

PSG want to sign Angel Di Maria, but Manchester United's asking price is steep. (L'Equipe)

Chelsea will sell Juan Cuadrado if they can get their money back. (Standard)

Mario Suarez is close to a move from Atleti to Fiorentina. (Football Italia)

Stoke are willing to break their transfer record for Andriy Yarmolenko. (Stoke Sentinel)

Aston Villa are talking to Tottenham about Emmanuel Adebayor. (Mail)

This weekend's games

The USMNT bulldozed Cuba. (Stars and Stripes FC)

They'll face Jamaica in the semifinal after the Reggae Boys beat Haiti. (MLS)

T&T fell to Panama on one of the worst penalty shootouts ever. (Deadspin)

That semi will also feature Mexico, who robbed Costa Rica with a bogus 120th minute penalty.

Check out highlights of all this weekend's MLS games here. (MLS)

And highlights of all the NWSL games here. (YouTube)