Real Madrid demand new La Liga leadership after Tebas row

Real Madrid have issued a formal statement demanding the removal of Javier Tebas as La Liga president, branding his conduct "intolerable" after he dismissed the club’s refereeing complaints following Sunday’s 2-1 derby defeat to Atlético Madrid.

Complaint over the derby officiating

The club’s match report, headlined “Terrible refereeing decides the derby”, criticised several decisions at the Metropolitano, including Cristian Romero’s escape from a red card for a stamp on Jude Bellingham and a challenge by Lee Kang‑in on Federico Valverde.

José Mourinho confronted referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias after the loss, arguing that Real could win the title if allowed to compete on a level playing field.

Real’s statement said Tebas’s remarks that the complaints came from “another galaxy” were “intolerable” and that Spanish football urgently needs new leadership at the top of the competition.

Escalating row between club and president

The demand followed Tebas’s public response to a pro‑Real article that he said promoted conspiracy claims against the club.

Tebas retorted that Real‑aligned outlets were “building the same old narrative – the permanent conspiracy”, while insisting the league “belongs to no one” and that Real Madrid are crucial to La Liga.

Real countered that the president’s use of his institutional position to repeatedly discredit and attack the club had become untenable, calling for a leader capable of managing the competition with “the fundamental duty of neutrality”.

At the time of the statement, Real Madrid sit six points behind reigning champions and early leaders Barcelona, while Atlético’s reaction has added another layer to the dispute.

The club’s official communication reiterated that the league president is an administrator serving the clubs, not an owner of the competition, and that the professional football competition in Spain needs a leader who can realise its full potential.