Javier Tebas says relationship with Real Madrid ‘cannot be repaired’ while Florentino Perez remains president

Javier Tebas has said his relationship with Real Madrid will remain “irreparable” for as long as Florentino Perez continues as the club’s president, as the dispute between La Liga and the Spanish giants escalates.

The La Liga president made the comments while attending an event in Spain on Wednesday, where he spoke to the media about the continuing tensions between the two parties.

Tebas and Real Madrid exchanged criticism on Tuesday after the club attacked the standard of refereeing following the Madrid derby. Tebas initially criticised Real Madrid in a series of posts on X, prompting the club to issue an official statement. Tebas then responded with a lengthy statement of his own on the platform.

Real Madrid said Tebas’ comments were “unworthy of an official”, but he rejected that criticism in remarks reported by AS.

“If I were not an official, I would not have remained here for 12 years,” Tebas said. “We have been living with this for many years, with Real Madrid’s channel. When things go badly inside the club, everything that moves is criticised, and that is shameful.

“It is disrespectful to everyone – to La Liga, to the clubs and to the supporters.”

Tebas also addressed the refereeing controversy surrounding the Madrid derby. He said he understood criticism of individual decisions but rejected any suggestion that the competition had been manipulated.

“I understand the criticism, but I cannot understand them saying that the competition has been rigged,” he said. “There are people who must have watched the Bellingham incident wearing different glasses from the rest of the world.”

He added: “Cristian Romero could not have been sent off for that under any circumstances. As for the Kang-in incident, yes, it could have been a red card, but it was not the scandalous incident that others have described it as.”

Tebas was equally direct when asked about his relationship with Perez, saying the dispute was rooted in their differing views of how football should be run.

“As long as Florentino Perez remains president of Real Madrid, the relationship cannot be repaired,” he said.

“The problem lies in the football model that Florentino defends. We do not support that model.”

Tebas said relations could change if Real Madrid appointed a different president in the future, although he made clear that his disagreement was with the club’s current leadership rather than the institution itself.

“If another president comes to the club in the future, we will see what happens,” he said. “I completely disagree with the current officials, but I have no problem with Real Madrid itself. It has been my team since I was a child.”