Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has privately requested that La Liga President Javier Tebas retract his words about the Brazilian last week. Tebas accused Vinicius publicly of using a pirate stream to watch Liverpool against Real Madrid in Spain, but the Brazilian assures this is not the case.
Vinicius posted a photo on social media of the game on his TV, as he supported his teammates. Tebas then appeared at an anti-piracy conference in Buenos Aires two days later, saying the following.
“If it is in Madrid, and I think it was in Madrid, it is piracy. Access to the content to watch the Champions League in Spain must be done through Movistar Television.”
It all stemmed from an Instagram story🤳
Ruled out against #LFC, Vinicius posted a picture watching his teammates, with a TNT logo visible.
Which didn't go down well with Tebas. The #LaLiga President sent a letter to #RealMadrid about his alleged use of a pirate stream. pic.twitter.com/H6RTr5Wa0N
— Football España (@footballespana_) December 3, 2024
“To watch this content, you need a VPN or a satellite dish pointed somewhere else. There must be active conduct that goes beyond the scope of Movistar. He was hacking the game.”
However a source has revealed to ESPN that Vinicius was watching the game on an international plan with a Brazilian operator, and which allows him access to the game without geo-restrictions. The player’s camp have shown evidence of this to La Liga, and asked Tebas to retract his claims that Vinicius was streaming the game illegally.
Tebas has made pirate streaming of football his number one issue over the last year or two, spending 60% of his time on the matter, as per his own words. He has refused to acknowledge criticism of the fact that watching Spanish football is more expensive than anywhere else in Europe, and claims La Liga are missing out on €600m per season due to pirate streams.
For more on why illegal football streams are such a hot topic in Spain, read our latest column here.