Real Madrid Demands Javier Tebas Step Down as LaLiga President

The war between Real Madrid and Javier Tebas has added another chapter, and this time the Spanish giants went straight for the jugular: they are calling, in no uncertain terms, for LaLiga's president to leave his post. The club made the demand in a statement that not only questions his leadership but accuses him of using his institutional power to "keep disqualifying and attacking Real Madrid."

The club's statement pulled no punches. It called for Tebas to be replaced by someone "capable of running the league and developing its full potential while upholding the basic duty of neutrality." It closed with a line that sums up the whole dispute: LaLiga's president "is not the owner of the competition, but rather an administrator who serves the clubs that make it up and who entrust him with its direction."

So where did the anger come from? The trigger was a post Tebas made on his personal X account, commenting on an article published by the outlet El Debate. In it, he wrote that "claiming referees are working against Real Madrid is living on another planet," and went further, throwing around terms like "goal mouth cheerleaders" and "state television" to describe what he called "the same old story: the permanent conspiracy."

Tebas didn't stop there. In that same post he pushed back on the idea that referees would hurt "the business that feeds them" and posed a pointed question: "What exactly are you asking for? That officiating be based on revenue, TV ratings or the crest on the jersey?" He also argued that "Real Madrid is hugely important for LaLiga," but warned that claiming "LaLiga is worth nothing" without the club "reveals contempt for every other club, their fans and their history."

Claiming referees are working against Real Madrid is living on another planet. That narrative is a convenient alibi to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see. It's easier to point to a conspiracy than to explain what happens on the field.Javier Tebas

LaLiga's president closed out his post with a line that has summed up his stance for some time now: "a refereeing mistake doesn't prove a conspiracy, and repeating it for years doesn't make it true." He added, almost shouting: "TAKE OFF THE BLINDFOLD! Nobody with common sense buys the same old excuse anymore."

Madrid's response: "intolerable" and "obsessed"

Real Madrid didn't let a single one of those lines slide. In its statement, the club calls it "intolerable" that Tebas "uses his institutional position" to attack the club, and takes direct aim at how he carries out his duties: it is "deeply concerning," Madrid says, that someone who should "represent and protect the interests of all clubs" remains "repeatedly obsessed" with just one of them.

The statement also points to the root of the controversy: the fact that Tebas reacted by commenting on "the article of an independent journalist at a digital outlet" and used the occasion to "pass judgment" on the club's sporting strategy, something Madrid calls "a total and irresponsible mess." For the Spanish club, it is "utterly surprising" that LaLiga's president would spend "his time and his personal channels" publicly discrediting them, instead of using his position to "build trust in the institutions that are supposed to guarantee the fairness of the competition."