September 23: Real Madrid have called for LaLiga president Javier Tebas to step down after another public refereeing row, this time following Sunday’s derby defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Real lost 2-1 and immediately blamed the referees, heading their own match report: “Terrible officiating decides derby.”
The club were furious that Atletico’s Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham, while they also complained about a Lee Kang-in challenge on Federico Valverde.
José Mourinho has brought the discussion to the cameras. The Real manager arrived at the post-match press conference with printed screenshots of the incidents and said his side could win the league “if they let us compete on equal terms”.
Tebas, who for years has had a conflicting relationship with the president of Real, Florentino Pérez, was having none of it.
In response to a pro-Real article alleging a wider conspiracy against the club, he said: “Here they go again, the regime’s spokesmen and television, building the same old narrative: the permanent conspiracy.”
He also challenged the suggestion that LaLiga had something to gain from undermining Real, questioning whether refereeing decisions should be based on “revenue, audience or badge”.
Tebas added: “Real Madrid is crucial to La Liga. But to claim that ‘La Liga is worth nothing’ without them shows contempt for other clubs, their fans and their history. The competition is nobody’s business.”
Real responded with a statement of their own, accusing Tebas of using his position to discredit the club.
“Our club considers it intolerable that the president of the League uses his institutional position to continue discrediting and attacking Real Madrid,” the statement said.
“Given this inappropriate and persistent conduct, we believe that the professional football competition in Spain urgently needs a leader capable of managing it and realizing its full potential with the fundamental duty of neutrality.”
The argument is the latest installment in a much wider battle between Madrid and LaLiga, spanning from governance and commercial strategy to the Super League and refereeing.
Tebas’ response was predictably combative, but his broader point is fair: LaLiga cannot operate on the basis that every controversial decision by its biggest club is evidence of a wider plot.
Real are currently six points behind leaders Barcelona, who have admittedly opened the season in perfect form. They will meet on October 25.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at harry.ewing@insideworldfootball.com