Javier Tebas hits back at Florentino Perez in fresh La Liga dispute

Javier Tebas has launched another criticism of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, defending La Liga’s reputation and the interests of its clubs after a newspaper article criticised his treatment of the club.

Tebas published his response on X to an article in El Debate by journalist Thomas Gonzalez-Martin, headlined: “Javier Tebas tries to justify his excesses by clinging to anything.” His reply was titled: “Who is attacking whom?”

Tebas said the article ignored “a fundamental aspect” of the dispute: accusations made for years by Perez and Real Madrid’s official channels against La Liga, its management and the integrity of the competition.

He cited several examples. At La Liga’s 2023 and 2024 assemblies, Perez reportedly described the CVC investment fund agreement as an attempt to seize Real Madrid’s assets. Tebas said two court rulings, one at first instance and another on appeal, upheld the agreement and vindicated La Liga and the 38 clubs that joined it.

He also referred to a Real Madrid board statement dated 10 August 2025, in which Perez allegedly threatened La Liga and CVC with “all kinds of legal action”.

On 3 February 2025, Real Madrid’s board accused the competition of having a “structurally corrupt system”, manipulating matches and damaging its integrity, according to Tebas. He also quoted Perez as saying at a news conference on 12 May 2026: “Our permanent enemy is La Liga.”

Perez was further cited as saying Real Madrid could have won more Spanish league titles but had lost others because it had been “robbed”.

Tebas then listed descriptions used by Real Madrid Television. After the match between Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid on 14 December 2024, the competition was called “the dirty Negreira League”. Following the Espanyol-Real Madrid game on 1 February 2025, it was again described that way, alongside references to “the operatives of the Medina Cantalejo plan”.

After Osasuna v Real Madrid on 15 February 2025, the channel called it “the League of deception” and “the Medina Cantalejo, Tebas and Lozano League”. On 4 August 2025, before the season began, Real Madrid Television director Jesus Alcaide said the league was starting “already distorted” and “amid filth”, citing the fixture schedule and the refusal to postpone the opening match against Osasuna.

On 10 October 2026, ahead of Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal, the channel used the phrases “a distorted and corrupt league”, “there is systematic corruption” and “the dirty Negreira League”.

“These are statements from the club president, decisions by its board and messages broadcast by the club’s official television,” Tebas said. “They are all public and verifiable.”

He added: “The competition can be called corrupt, its officials can be labelled enemies and its management portrayed as a conspiracy against Real Madrid, but defending it becomes an attack on the club. What a convenient theory.”

Tebas said his role required him to protect the competition’s reputation and the interests of every participating club. Real Madrid’s history and status deserved respect, he said, but did not provide immunity from criticism or require others to remain silent.

He also rejected what he called the constant merging of Perez with Real Madrid, saying criticism of the president, his actions and the club’s broadcasts formed part of the debate over how football is run in Spain.

On a separate controversy involving a reference to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, Tebas said he was still waiting for an explanation as to why describing propaganda methods was acceptable when used against Pedro Sanchez, Josep Borrell, Oscar Puente and Mariano Rajoy, but unacceptable when used by him.

Responding to Gonzalez-Martin’s claim that Real Madrid gives La Liga its meaning, Tebas said the competition also derived its purpose from the other clubs, their history, supporters, rights and interests. He concluded that the league president had a duty to defend those clubs, even if it annoyed Perez or appeared excessive to the journalist.