Tebas hits back hard at Real Madrid after arbitration complaints: “Nobody believes the excuse any longer”

Javier Tebas, chairman of the Spanish League, posted a sharp response on X to an article in El Debate accusing Real Madrid of an alleged arbitration conspiracy. In his message he says that the Madrilenians are trying to hide their own shortcomings by looking for a scapegoat. The reaction came shortly after the article suggested that the competition would be “ruined” already in September.

Straight from the League boss’s corner

Tebas condemns the accusations as a “permanent conspiracy story” and calls out the media voices that keep repeating this narrative. He points out that, unless the Negreira case (relating to FC Barcelona) plays a role, the blame should be placed on the referee or on a lack of international status. According to him, all clubs deal with both international and national referees.

The chairman emphasizes that no one is entitled to arbitration on demand and wonders whether it is about revenue, viewership figures or club logos. He disputes the insinuation that La Liga would be worthless without Real Madrid, and states that the competition is “belonging to no one”. Tebas underscores that Real’s importance to the League does not mean the competition is dependent on a single club.

Real Madrid rebukes La Liga president's remarks as irresponsible

Real’s excuses and the reality on the pitch

Tebas addresses directly the claim that referees are being steered against Real Madrid. He labels this as a “living in another universe” and sees it as an excuse for the shortcomings that have become evident in the first matches of the season. According to him, it is easier to point to a conspiracy than to analyse the actual developments in the game.

He makes clear that his position is independent of his role: “An arbitration error does not prove a conspiracy, and repeating it for years does not make it truth.” Tebas concludes with a call to take off the “blindfolds”, because it is already September and the competition should not be called “corrupted”. He concludes that “no one with common sense believes that old excuse any longer”.