La Liga
Real Madrid demand new LaLiga president as referee feud escalates
Real Madrid have called for a new LaLiga president, branding Javier Tebas's response to their refereeing complaints as intolerable, after their 2-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid. The club’s statement said the president’s remarks were "unbecoming of a responsible manager" and demanded a leader who could guarantee neutrality.
Derby defeat fuels referee accusations
Jose Mourinho, manager of Atletico Madrid, produced printed images of controversial incidents at the post‑match press conference, arguing that Diego Simeone’s side could have received two red cards in the first half. Mourinho’s visual evidence was intended to illustrate what he described as clear officiating errors that influenced the 2-1 result.
Atletico Madrid answered the accusation by sharing their own print‑out on social media, captioned: “Stop refereeing harassment now.” The message underscored the club’s frustration with what they perceive as a pattern of biased decisions.
Tebas rejects conspiracy claims
Javier Tebas took to his personal social‑media accounts to dismiss the notion of a conspiracy against Real Madrid. He wrote that claiming referees are directed against the club is “living in another galaxy” and that such narratives mask “other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season.”
Tebas added that “it is more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what’s happening on the pitch,” and stressed that a single refereeing error does not prove a plot, nor does repeated error turn it into truth.
Real Madrid’s fierce rebuke
In a formal statement, Real Madrid said they do not accept Tebas’s use of “his institutional position to continue discrediting and attacking Real Madrid.” The club called his latest remarks “particularly serious and incomprehensible, unbecoming of a responsible manager.”
The statement highlighted the club’s 124‑year history, asserting that Realmadrid TV “legitimately exercises its right to inform and defend the interests of our club, its members and its supporters.” It warned that the president of LaLiga “continues to damage the image of our competition and Spanish football worldwide.”
Real Madrid also demanded a leader who “understands the nature of their role, as the president of LaLiga is not the owner of the competition but a manager serving the clubs that comprise it.” The club concluded that “the clubs need someone who serves this mission with honesty.”
Tebas replied to the Madrid statement, agreeing that “the president of LaLiga is not the owner of the competition. Neither is the president of Real Madrid.” His brief response reaffirmed the separation of duties between the two offices.
Media clash over Real Madrid TV
The dispute spilled onto the media front when Real Madrid condemned journalist Juanma Castano’s comparison of Realmadrid TV with the newspaper Gara, a publication linked historically to the Basque separatist group ETA. The club called the comparison “absolutely deplorable and unacceptable,” describing it as an act that “crosses all boundaries.”
Real Madrid demands Javier Tebas's resignation after the controversy
Real Madrid noted that the comparison appeared in an article published today in the newspaper ABC and said the club reserves the right to take any measures it deems appropriate in response to this “completely unacceptable attack.”
The row has dominated the fallout from the derby, with both clubs and LaLiga’s president exchanging sharp statements, and the Liga’s credibility now under intense scrutiny.