Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez took aim at his La Liga counterpart Javier Tebas for his failed Miami project, as well as his opposition to bringing the NFL to the Bernabéu, in the latest chapter of the pair’s ongoing rivalry.
Pérez and Tebas have made it a habit of exchanging verbal blows in a feud that pits Spain’s biggest club against the league in which they play. The two figures recently clashed over the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s (RFEF) attempt to host Villarreal vs. Barcelona on U.S. soil, with Los Blancos vehemently against the proposal.
The 19 other clubs in La Liga, including Villarreal and Barcelona themselves, joined Real Madrid in protest, admitting the Catalans would receive an “undue sporting advantage” getting to play what should be an away match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami—a neutral site.
The game was eventually canceled after the massive uproar, but Pérez has not let the matter go. The 78-year-old spoke out against Tebas and the RFEF at the latest Assembly of Representative Members
Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez did not hold back in his latest speech against Javier Tebas. / Dennis Agyeman/AFP/Getty Images
“It is not normal for the president of La Liga and the president of the Spanish Football Federation, who are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the competition, to promote a match that distorts the league,” Pérez said.
“It is not normal for them to support Barcelona having the advantage of playing one fewer match on their opponents’ home ground. Even their own captain, Frenkie de Jong, does not think this is normal.”
Indeed, De Jong spoke out against the proposed fixture, calling it “not fair” that Barcelona would get to play one less away game than every other club in the league.
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Javier Tebas
Javier Tebas spoke out against Real Madrid’s NFL spectacle. / Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images
Pérez also addressed Tebas’s recent rant against Real Madrid for hosting an NFL game at the Bernabéu: "And we still have to listen to Mr. Tebas comparing this nonsense to the global spectacle staged by the NFL at the Bernabéu. And once again, he is fabricating a narrative with the sole aim of attacking Real Madrid.”
The La Liga president accused the Spanish giants of hypocrisy, given that they opposed the league’s Miami fixture yet they accepted payment to allow the Miami Dolphins to play the Washington Commanders in Madrid.
“The NFL event was impeccable, legal, respectful and in line with every rule of its competition,” Pérez continued. “And the comparison is absurd, because the NFL’s international event does have the backing of all 32 clubs and players in that competition.”
The Real Madrid president is of course referring to Tebas and the RFEF moving ahead with Barcelona’s proposed Miami fixture without the approval of the clubs in the Spanish top flight.
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