Tebas responds to Real Madrid’s call for his resignation: ‘They are trying to destroy the national competition’
· Yahoo Sports
The latest chapter in the ongoing dispute between Javier Tebas and Real Madrid has escalated after the La Liga president made a controversial comparison between RMTV and the Nazi propaganda techniques used by Joseph Goebbels.
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Real Madrid responded with a strongly worded official statement demanding Tebas’ resignation and an end to what the club considers his repeated hostility towards them.
Tebas, however, refused to let the matter rest. He responded with a lengthy message on social media, defending his position and launching a fresh attack on the club’s leadership.
“I have lost count of the number of times Real Madrid’s directors have called for my resignation or tried to have me disqualified over the past 13 years: complaints to the CSD, either directly or through third parties, criminal proceedings and more,” he began.
Continuing, he added: “Today’s demand is just another one. What still has not arrived are the answers. They confuse neutrality with independence.
“My position requires independence, not passivity in the face of injustice or silence in response to Real Madrid TV’s continuous, excessive and insulting attacks on our competition and its spokespersons.
“The La Liga president must defend the competition, including against Real Madrid’s directors.”
Tebas challenges Real Madrid over the Negreira case
Tebas then turned his attention to the Negreira case, rejecting accusations that La Liga had failed to act when allegations concerning payments by Barcelona to companies linked to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira emerged.
“La Liga acted from the very beginning in the Negreira case. Repeating that we were passive does not make it true,” he insisted.
He then questioned Real Madrid’s own conduct, pointing to Florentino Perez’s continued presence within the RFEF’s governing bodies during part of the period in question.
“Florentino remained within the RFEF’s governing bodies for months. According to Relevo, his resignation from the management committee and Laporta’s were submitted on the same day: 30 October 2023.
“At the Assembly of Delegate Members on 24 November 2024, when asked about severing relations with Barcelona, he replied: ‘Barcelona and Madrid have to help each other.’
He also added: ‘Why would we fall out?’ Yes, that was less than two years ago. Falling out with Barcelona? No comment.
“What changed? Why does this escalation coincide with Barcelona’s break with the Super League? Did the seriousness of the events change, or did their interests change? Where was Real Madrid TV’s indignation before?” Tebas asked.
A video does not represent evidence
The La Liga president went on to question the evidence behind allegations that referees remain under Negreira’s influence, years after the payments ended.
“If they are so convinced that those referees are still acting under Negreira’s influence, eight years after the payments ended, what evidence do they have? What individual complaints have they filed with national authorities, UEFA or FIFA?
“Demanding accountability from Barcelona does not substantiate an accusation against every referee. A video does not replace evidence. Targeting individuals in this way is extremely serious and irresponsible.”
Tebas acknowledged that progress had been made on refereeing reform, although he admitted he would have preferred faster and more far-reaching changes.
“On refereeing reform, progress has been made, and there is still more to do. I would have liked us to move faster and go further.
War escalates. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images for Soccerex)
“But institutions cannot simply do whatever Real Madrid’s directors want, depending on their interests, their mood, their sporting situation or their relationship with Barcelona at any given moment.
“Nor can they disregard the other stakeholders and the support of the vast majority of clubs. Reform does not mean obeying them.”
He then delivered his strongest accusation against the Madrid leadership.
“My conclusion is that they are trying to DESTROY the national competition. What they have not achieved so far with the Super League, they are trying to achieve through a distorted narrative promoted by their media outlets and spokespersons.
“They call it regeneration while attacking the prestige of the competition in which they participate,” he wrote.
Tebas makes fresh accusations over Real Madrid’s complaints
Tebas then challenged Real Madrid to address several claims he said had been attributed to sources close to the club, including comparisons between him and Negreira and allegations that La Liga had deliberately disadvantaged them through scheduling.
“If the comparison between Tebas and Negreira attributed by a journalist to club sources is false, DENY IT. If it is false that those sources told him La Liga disadvantages them through scheduling, DENY IT,” he wrote.
“I am not asking who pays his salary. I am asking whether he reports what you tell him.”
The La Liga president also called for the publication of all Real Madrid’s requests to change match dates and kick-off times, including those intended to accommodate other events at the Santiago Bernabéu.
“Publish how many changes to match dates and kick-off times you have requested, how many have been granted and how many were intended to accommodate the calendar around other events at the Bernabeu.
“The requests that were accepted count too, even if they spoil the narrative. If you are acting in good faith, deny what is false, explain what is true and disclose ALL the facts.”
Tebas concluded by arguing that Real Madrid’s repeated calls for his resignation and removal from office formed part of a wider campaign of intimidation.
He also referred to what he described as a previous threat concerning his public standing among the club’s supporters.
“Then carry on demanding my resignation, my disqualification or my social ‘death’. I already know the procedure. I also remember the words: ‘I will turn the entire Real Madrid fanbase against you, and you will not be able to walk down the street.’
“Stop putting individuals in the firing line and confusing criticism of your directors with attacks on the club and its supporters.
“This has a name: intimidation. Wrapping it in an official statement does not turn it into regeneration,” Tebas concluded.
The exchange marks another escalation in the increasingly public conflict between La Liga and Real Madrid, with the Negreira case, refereeing reform, the Super League and fixture scheduling continuing to fuel the dispute.