La Liga president Javier Tebas has hit back at Real Madrid over the club’s complaints about refereeing following their 2-1 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Tebas, speaking on Tuesday, rejected suggestions that referees were being directed against Real Madrid and criticised what he described as a recurring “conspiracy” narrative surrounding the club.
His comments came after Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho brought printed screenshots of two incidents involving Atletico players to his post-match press conference following Sunday’s defeat.
Mourinho argued that Atletico’s Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in should both have been sent off, saying the match could have been very different had Real Madrid faced nine opponents instead of 10.
Tebas dismissed the wider claim of refereeing bias, arguing that Real Madrid’s importance to La Liga did not justify preferential treatment.
“Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy,” Tebas said, adding that the narrative could be used to deflect attention from the club’s performances on the pitch.
He also rejected the suggestion that La Liga would be diminished without Real Madrid, stressing that the competition belonged to all its clubs.
However, the refereeing controversy received some backing from Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
The committee acknowledged that Lee Kang-in should have been shown a red card for his challenge on Federico Valverde and said VAR should have intervened.
The incident occurred late in the first half when the Atletico midfielder caught Valverde on the ankle. No card was issued at the time, while VAR did not recommend a review.
Real Madrid later confirmed that Valverde had suffered a grade-three ankle sprain involving a complete ligament tear.
The refereeing committee, however, defended the yellow card shown to Cristian Romero after his challenge involving Jude Bellingham.
The referee had initially booked Bellingham before VAR intervened to correct the identity of the player who committed the foul. Romero was then shown the yellow card.
The committee considered the decision appropriate, despite Real Madrid’s argument that the Atletico defender should have received a red card.
Real Madrid were also reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Dean Huijsen was sent off after a VAR review for a foul on Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty area. Atletico converted the resulting penalty through Alejandro Grimaldo before Jonathan David doubled the lead.
Antonio Rudiger pulled one back late for Real Madrid, but Atletico held on for the victory.
The defeat left Mourinho’s side six points behind leaders Barcelona and fourth in the La Liga standings.
Real Madrid subsequently criticised Tebas after he described the club’s claims as part of a familiar conspiracy narrative.
The club called his remarks “intolerable” and accused the La Liga president of repeatedly using his institutional position to discredit Real Madrid.
Madrid also argued that Spanish professional football needed leadership committed to neutrality and called for a change in the way the league is managed.
The latest exchange has renewed the longstanding dispute between Tebas and Real Madrid, adding an off-field confrontation to a difficult start for Mourinho’s side on the pitch.
