Real Madrid have formally called for a change in La Liga leadership, issuing an explicit demand for the departure of president Javier Tebas after accusing him of abusing his institutional position to repeatedly attack the club and violating the duty of impartiality.
The official statement arrived hours after Tebas waded into the refereeing controversy following Real Madrid’s 2–1 derby loss to Atlético Madrid, responding via his personal social media account to an opinion piece that criticized match officials and linked the league’s value to Real Madrid’s status.
Tebas remarked: “When the issue isn’t Negreira, the referee becomes the problem, and if it’s not the referee, the argument is that he isn’t an international official. No club has the right to custom-tailored refereeing,” adding: “Claiming that referees target Real Madrid means living in another galaxy, and it is easier to speak of a conspiracy than to explain what happens on the pitch.”
In response, Real Madrid released a scathing statement: “Our club considers it unacceptable for the president of La Liga to use his institutional position to continuously undermine and attack Real Madrid in every public appearance, and it is deeply concerning that the official responsible for protecting the interests of all clubs remains obsessed with ours.”
The statement continued: “His latest intervention is grave, incomprehensible, and unfit for an administrative official, commenting on an article written by an independent journalist and taking the liberty of judging our sporting strategy—an absurd and irresponsible behavior.”
The club added: “Professional football in Spain urgently requires an executive capable of managing the competition and maximizing its potential while adhering to strict impartiality. The president of La Liga is not the owner of the league, but an administrator working in service of the clubs that entrusted him with the role,” concluding: “Clubs need someone who serves this mandate with integrity.”
The feud between Florentino Pérez and Javier Tebas spans years but escalated sharply in 2021 over Pérez’s leadership of the European Super League project—which Tebas viewed as an existential threat to domestic leagues—and La Liga’s deal with CVC Capital Partners to inject €2.7 billion in exchange for long-term commercial rights, an agreement Real Madrid rejected and challenged in court.
Subsequent clashes have encompassed television rights distribution, financial fair play regulations, Real Madrid TV’s critique of referees, the Negreira case, and proposals to host La Liga matches abroad. Tebas has served as La Liga president since April 2013, securing re-elections in 2016, 2019, and 2023. While Real Madrid’s statement stopped short of initiating formal legal removal proceedings, it marks a public call for new leadership to helm Spanish football.
