Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has delivered one of his most forceful public statements in recent times after becoming the direct target of criticism that emerged during the Real Madrid assembly. Far from dodging the attack, Tebas responded immediately on social media, unequivocally asserting his Real Madrid allegiance.
Tebas's words have generated a strong media impact due to their tone, forcefulness, and context: a Real Madrid that is even considering declaring him persona non grata, and a LaLiga president who denies any anti-Madrid attitude and defends his management as a guarantor of a strong, balanced, and stable competition
"I am a Real Madrid fan like no other": Tebas' public vindication
Tebas's reaction came hours after the Real Madrid assembly, in which Florentino Pérez and several members questioned his work at the helm of LaLiga. The executive responded with an extensive text in which he unashamedly asserted his Real Madrid sentiment, something he claimed he had never hidden but had rarely expressed with such forcefulness.
“I’ve been a Real Madrid fan since I was six years old, when I returned to Spain with my family. No one forced me, I didn’t inherit my father’s or grandfather’s membership. I chose to be a Madrid fan. And being a Madrid fan isn’t given to you by a piece of paper, a vote in an assembly, or a seat in a box,” Tebas published.
In his message, Tebas emphasized that the true fan is one who lives the club with passion, beyond positions or offices: "Many suffer and enjoy with their team, often more than some who do have a role and their office."
Denies being anti-Madrid and defends his League model
One of the central points of his response was to deny the accusations of anti-Madridism that some sectors have propagated in recent years, especially since the Super League conflict. For Tebas, these claims are unfair and do not fit with his personal or professional trajectory.
“I am accused of being anti-Madrid. I am not, and it hurts to hear it. I am still a Real Madrid fan like no one else”, he stated before explaining why he believes his work is compatible with his passion for the white club.
"Precisely for that reason, I defend a strong, competitive league with value for everyone, where every club—big or small—has its place. Because without a solid league, Real Madrid itself would also be smaller."
With this idea, the president of LaLiga insisted that his work aims to strengthen the Spanish football ecosystem as a whole, and that economic and competitive stability benefits the big clubs equally.
Indirect message to Florentino Pérez and the Super League project
Although he never directly mentioned Florentino Pérez, the final message of the statement was clearly aimed at the Real Madrid leadership. Tebas accused those currently in charge of the white club of promoting projects that, in his opinion, compromise the health of Spanish football.
“Today, those who run Real Madrid — not Real Madrid as a club, nor its history — are pushing mega-competition projects that weaken and destroy the house that helped them become great: La Liga”.
This is an obvious reference to the European Super League project, an initiative that has pitted LaLiga and the white club against each other for years. Tebas, one of its main detractors, has repeatedly stated that this parallel competition would cause a serious economic and sporting imbalance for Spanish and European football.
An Increasingly Tense Relationship Between LaLiga and Real Madrid
The statements come amid a climate of growing tension. Real Madrid believes that certain corporate and communication decisions by LaLiga harm the white club, while Tebas accuses Madrid of trying to destabilize the competition model to impose a format that favors it.
During the club's assembly, several members publicly criticized LaLiga's president, with one even requesting that Tebas be declared "persona non grata," a symbolic gesture reflecting the institutional rift between the two parties.For his part, Tebas understands that the white club is pursuing sporting and economic hegemony incompatible with the current framework, while he defends a system of "real competitive equality" based on economic control, centralized rights sales, and the correction of imbalances between clubs
And how does this affect FC Barcelona?
Although the confrontation is between Real Madrid and LaLiga, Tebas's discourse also has implications that affect FC Barcelona. The executive director usually argues that a stable and regulated system equally protects clubs like the Blaugrana team, which has gone through financial difficulties in recent years and has needed to rely on economic control regulations.
Furthermore, Barça maintains its own opposition to the Super League project since Joan Laporta left the steering committee, which brings it closer—on this specific point—to LaLiga's stance. Tebas's message is therefore framed within a complex institutional landscape, in which **FC Barcelona** closely observes its main rival's moves and the championship's governing body's responses