Real Madrid demand a new LaLiga president after branding Tebas' response 'intolerable'

Real Madrid have taken their institutional battle with Spanish football's governing body to a new level by calling for a change in the LaLiga presidency. The club has branded Javier Tebas' response to their refereeing grievances as "intolerable" and accused the long-serving executive of using his office to discredit the institution on a regular basis. The crisis, which erupted following the derby defeat to Atletico Madrid, has pushed the relationship between the club and the league president to breaking point.

• Real Madrid are demanding a new LaLiga president and accusing Tebas of lacking neutrality.
• The club describes the league chief's response to their refereeing complaints as intolerable.
• Tebas argues the conspiracy narrative is being used to hide sporting shortcomings.
• Real Madrid have also attacked journalist Juanma Castano for comparing Realmadrid TV to the newspaper Gara.
• Tensions escalated after the derby at the Metropolitano, with Madrid unhappy about two possible red cards not given.

Why Real Madrid want Javier Tebas out of LaLiga

The trigger was Tebas' response to Real Madrid's comments about the refereeing in the derby. The LaLiga president took to social media to reject suggestions of a conspiracy against the club, writing that claiming referees are directed against Real Madrid is "living in another galaxy". He added that such a narrative serves as an excuse to hide shortcomings that have been visible in the opening matches of the season.

For Real Madrid, those words crossed a line. The club issued a statement rejecting Tebas' use of his "institutional position" to continue discrediting and attacking the club, describing his latest remarks as "particularly serious and incomprehensible". According to the Madrid version of events, the league president even commented on the team's sporting strategy, something the club calls "entirely inappropriate and irresponsible".

How the refereeing row erupted after the derby against Atletico

The conflict had been simmering for some time, but it reignited fiercely after the 2-1 defeat at the Metropolitano. Real Madrid made their displeasure known over several incidents in the match and argued that Atletico could have been reduced to nine men before half-time. The complaints went beyond simple post-match interviews, with printed images of the controversial decisions used to support the club's case.

Atletico did not take long to respond in kind. The club posted their own printout on social media with a blunt message: "Stop refereeing harassment now." The exchange raised the temperature of a derby that, beyond the result itself, left behind a fresh battle over officiating standards and the way clubs apply pressure around refereeing performances.

What Real Madrid's statement says about LaLiga neutrality

The core of the Madrid statement is a demand for neutrality. The club says it is "utterly surprising" that the LaLiga president dedicates his time and personal platforms to trying to publicly discredit Real Madrid, rather than contributing to trust in the institutions that must guarantee the impartiality of the competition. For the club, that attitude damages the image of the league and of Spanish football around the world.

From there comes the explicit call for change. Real Madrid believe Spanish professional football urgently needs a leader capable of managing it and developing its full potential "with the fundamental duty of neutrality". The club points out that the LaLiga president is not the owner of the competition, but a manager serving the clubs that make it up and entrust him with its direction.

The clubs need someone who serves this mission with honesty.

Tebas' response and the exchange of accusations

Tebas responded to Real Madrid's statement with a short message in which he said he "fully" agreed with one thing: the president of LaLiga is not the owner of the competition. "Neither is the president of Real Madrid," he added. With that reply, the executive hit back and framed the dispute as a clash between two ways of understanding power in Spanish football.

The exchange was not limited to the institutional arena. Real Madrid also launched an attack on journalist Juanma Castano of Cadena COPE for comparing Realmadrid TV to the newspaper Gara in an article published in ABC. The club called the comparison "absolutely deplorable and unacceptable" and stressed that Gara is a paper whose history is linked to the terrorist group ETA.

Real Madrid's accusation against Juanma Castano over Realmadrid TV-Gara comparison

In a second statement, Real Madrid defended their official channel as a media outlet that legitimately exercises its right to inform and defend the interests of the club, its members and its supporters. The club emphasised that Realmadrid TV is the official communication platform of a club with 124 years of history, representing the sensitivities and values of millions of fans worldwide.

The club considers any parallel between its television channel and a publication linked to the terrorist organisation to be an "extremely serious" act that crosses every boundary. As a result, Real Madrid announced they reserve the right to take whatever measures they deem appropriate in response to what they describe as a completely unacceptable attack.

What is at stake for Real Madrid in their conflict with LaLiga

The dispute goes far beyond a single derby or a couple of controversial calls. Real Madrid have long been pushing for changes in the governance of Spanish football and in the distribution of power within LaLiga. This latest escalation, with an explicit demand for a change of president, leaves the relationship between the club and the league in a state of institutional deadlock that will be difficult to repair in the short term.

For Real Madrid, the core issue is the credibility of the refereeing system and the neutrality of the person running the competition. For Tebas, it is a campaign designed to shift responsibility and put pressure on officials. With the two positions so far apart, the conflict looks set to dominate the LaLiga agenda for weeks to come.