In Madrid, the latest institutional dispute between Real Madrid and LaLiga has again placed Javier Tebas at the centre of a public confrontation over authority, representation and the direction of Spain’s top flight.
Real Madrid called for Tebas to be replaced by a figure it believes can run the competition, unlock its potential and meet what the club described as the basic obligation of neutrality. The club accused the LaLiga president of using his office to continue criticising and attacking Real Madrid.
Quick facts
- Real Madrid asked for Javier Tebas to be succeeded as LaLiga president.
- The club said Tebas’s repeated focus on Real Madrid was “very worrying”.
- Tebas replied publicly on X, stressing that neither he nor Real Madrid’s president owns LaLiga.
- He said serving all clubs does not mean following the position of the competition’s most powerful member.
The Spanish champions said it was unacceptable for the president of the league to use his institutional position against them. They argued that the person charged with representing and protecting every LaLiga club should not repeatedly direct such attention towards one side.
Madrid’s statement described Tebas’s alleged fixation with the club as especially concerning, given his responsibility to the entire championship. It said LaLiga needed leadership capable of acting impartially while developing the competition.
Tebas answered swiftly with a pointed post. “I have read the statement,” he wrote, adding that he fully agreed with one line: “The president of LaLiga is not the owner of the competition. Neither is the president of Real Madrid.”
The LaLiga chief maintained that defending a club’s interests does not require accepting that club’s narrative. Equally, he said, representing the full membership does not mean complying with the wishes of its strongest institution.
“The interests of the competition, of LaLiga, must be defended,” Tebas said. He finished with a direct message to Real Madrid: he would not manage the league as though it belonged to one club, insisting that he respects all members but is subordinate to none.
