The president of the Spanish football league 'La Liga' Javier Tebas gestures as he gives a press conference in Madrid on May 25, 2023 amid an international outcry after racist abuse was hurled at Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior during a Spanish league match. The 22-year-old Brazilian forward drew international support after making a stand against the last racist abuse he received from Valencia supporters on May 21. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
La Liga president Javier Tebas has on Tuesday issued a firm response to Real Madrid’s public criticism of the division’s officials. This comes amid the ongoing fallout from Sunday’s Madrid Derby.
The actions of those in a position of power at the Santiago Bernabéu have of course dominated the headlines across Spain over the last 48 hours.
After Atlético condemned Real to the wrong side of a 2-1 result at the Metropolitano, the latter wasted no time in launching an all-out campaign against referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias and his team of officials.
Los Blancos went as far as to label the standard of refereeing on show ‘dreadful’, adamant that both Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in escaped deserved red cards.
Taking to his official social media platforms on Tuesday, the aforementioned Javier Tebas therefore felt it necessary to address Real Madrid’s ongoing claims of their opponents being favoured by officials.
And La Liga’s president, as cited by the BBC, did not at all hold back:
“Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy. That narrative serves as an excuse to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season.
“It’s more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what’s happening on the pitch.”
Conor Laird – GSFN