Real Madrid call for Tebas' removal as LaLiga president after fiery remarks

Real Madrid have called for Javier Tebas to be removed as LaLiga president after he dismissed the club's complaints over refereeing in the Madrid derby. The latest escalation has deepened a long-running dispute between the club and Tebas over refereeing, league governance and public criticism.Real Madrid call for LaLiga president Javier Tebas' removal, label his remarks dangerous and unbecoming (Reuters Photo)Real Madrid have called for Javier Tebas to be removed as LaLiga president after the league chief criticised the club's complaints over refereeing in Sunday's Madrid derby. Tebas hit back at Real's criticism of the officials on social media, dismissing claims of bias against the club and accusing them of using refereeing controversies to deflect attention from their performances.He also referred to Real Madrid TV as "the regime's television" and wrote: "When it isn't Negreira, it's the referee. Enough of this fog! The usual pretext is no longer believed by anyone with a measure of logic." Real responded with a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, accusing Tebas of using his position to attack the club."Real Madrid considers it unacceptable that the president of the Spanish league association should use his institutional position to continue diminishing Real Madrid and attacking it in the way he does in all his interventions," the club said. "It is extremely concerning that the person responsible for representing and protecting the interests of all La Liga clubs continues his repeated preoccupation with Real Madrid, turning our club into a permanent target of his public attacks."Real also criticised Tebas for commenting on an article written by an independent journalist before turning his remarks into an attack on the club and its sporting strategy. "His recent interventions are particularly serious and astonishing, and unbecoming of an official who bears his responsibilities," Real said, calling his actions "an utterly irresponsible act." The club then accused Tebas of using his personal social media accounts to damage Real Madrid's reputation instead of helping restore confidence in the league's institutions."It is astonishing that the president of La Liga dedicates his time and his personal accounts to continuously attempting to publicly tarnish the image of Real Madrid, instead of contributing, from the responsibilities of his position, to strengthening confidence in the institutions that are supposed to guarantee the neutrality of the competition," the club said. Real's statement ended with a clear call for change at the top of LaLiga. "In light of this inappropriate conduct that has persisted over time, we believe that professional football in Spain urgently needs an official capable of managing it and developing its full potential, while adhering to the fundamental duty of neutrality," the club said."We need someone who understands the nature of his position, because the president of La Liga is not the owner of the competition, but rather an official who manages it in the service of the clubs that make it up and entrust him with leading it. We need someone who performs this task with integrity."REAL MADRID'S DERBY COMPLAINTSThe latest row follows Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Real's website described the match as "Terrible refereeing decides the derby". The club were particularly unhappy that Atletico defender Cristian Romero was not sent off for a stamp on Jude Bellingham.They also complained about a challenge by Lee Kang-in on Federico Valverde. Real manager Jose Mourinho criticised referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias and those involved in his appointment. He said Real could win the title "if they let us compete on a level playing field".Tebas rejected the suggestion of a conspiracy against Real Madrid. "Claiming that referees are told to go against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy," he said on social media."It's more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what's happening on the pitch."Real are currently fourth in LaLiga, six points behind leaders Barcelona after seven matches. Tebas has been LaLiga president since 2013. He was re-elected unopposed for a fourth term in December 2023, with his current mandate running until 2027.His relationship with Real Madrid has been strained for years. The club and LaLiga have also faced each other in court over league decisions.Real challenged LaLiga's 2022 decision to exclude the club from the Control Body responsible for managing the competition's audiovisual rights. Spain's Supreme Court ruled in Real Madrid's favour in June.- EndsPublished By: Saurabh KumarPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 22:27 IST