La Liga Chief Tebas: No Repairing Relationship With Real Madrid Under Perez
The short version
- Tebas says the relationship with Real Madrid is irreparable while Florentino Perez is president
- The feud escalated after Real Madrid's 2-1 derby loss to Atletico Madrid and subsequent refereeing complaints
- Tebas dismissed claims the competition is rigged and discussed the Bellingham and Kang-in Lee incidents
- The CTA admitted Kang-in Lee should have been sent off for his challenge on Federico Valverde
- Tebas says he disagrees with the current directors but has nothing against Real Madrid as a club
Javier Tebas says his rift with Real Madrid cannot be fixed while Florentino Perez runs the club, though he insists he has nothing against the team itself.
La Liga president Javier Tebas said his long-running dispute with Real Madrid cannot be resolved under the club's current leadership. Speaking to reporters at the XII Gala del Altruismo, he was direct when asked about his relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
"As long as Florentino remains president of Real Madrid, the relationship is irreparable," Tebas said, according to AS. "The problem is Florentino's model of football. We don't support that model. If there is another president in the future, we'll see."
The feud between the two sides has escalated since the Madrid derby, which Real Madrid lost 2-1. The club was unhappy with the officiating, and tensions have played out through public statements from both sides, including a call from Real Madrid for a change in the league's leadership and a post from Tebas on X accusing the club of diverting attention from other problems.
Tebas also addressed refereeing decisions from the derby. He said he could not accept claims that the competition is rigged, arguing Jude Bellingham "could never be sent off" for his incident and that Kang-in Lee's challenge on Federico Valverde "could have been a red card, but it wasn't as clear-cut as others are making out." The CTA has acknowledged the Atletico player should have been sent off.
Tebas defended his record and criticized Real Madrid Television, calling the situation "a disgrace and a lack of respect for everyone: La Liga, the clubs and the supporters." He closed by separating the club from its leadership, saying he has nothing against Real Madrid, which he said has been his team since childhood.
