La Liga: Real Madrid calls for new president after Tebas’s criticism

Real Madrid called for a change in the presidency of La Liga on Tuesday, September 22, arguing that Javier Tebas no longer exercises the expected neutrality at the helm of the Spanish league. The club’s response came after the president criticized its objections to the officiating in the derby lost 2-1 against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.

The dispute reignited following the match at the Metropolitano. Real Madrid specifically criticized the referee for not sending off Cristian Romero for a foul on Jude Bellingham and also contested an intervention by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde. José Mourinho later suggested that his team could contend for the title if they were afforded fair conditions. Tebas dismissed the notion of biased officiating against Real and framed this narrative as a way to obscure the difficulties observed on the pitch.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Real Madrid accused Javier Tebas of using his institutional role to discredit the club. The Madrid leadership believes that Spanish professional competition requires a new leader capable of administering it with neutrality. The club also criticized the La Liga president for commenting on its sporting strategy in his public statements.

Javier Tebas has presided over La Liga since 2013, and his fourth term runs until 2027. Tensions with Real Madrid have also spilled into the judicial arena: in June, the Spanish Supreme Court ruled in favor of the club in a dispute related to its participation in the governing body for audiovisual rights in the league. On the sporting front, Real currently sits in fourth place after seven matches, six points behind FC Barcelona.