Real Madrid called for a new Spanish league president on Tuesday, arguing that Javier Tebas’ comments against the club regarding refereeing complaints were “intolerable. Madrid released a statement hours after Tebas criticized the club for attacking the refereeing crew in the team’s 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
It said that “given this inappropriate behavior,” Spanish soccer “urgently needs a leader capable of managing it and developing its full potential with the fundamental duty of neutrality.”
“The clubs need someone who serves this mission with honesty.
“It needs someone who understands the nature of their role, as the president of La Liga is not the owner of the competition but a manager serving the clubs that comprise it and entrust him with its direction,” Real Madrid said. Madrid said Tuesday it does not accept Tebas’ use of “his institutional position to continue discrediting and attacking Real Madrid. “It is also very concerning that someone who is responsible for representing and protecting the interests of all La Liga clubs is repeatedly obsessed with targeting Real Madrid, turning our club into a constant subject of his public attacks,” it said. “It is utterly surprising that the president of La Liga dedicates his time and personal platforms to constantly trying to publicly discredit Real Madrid, instead of contributing, from the responsibility of his position, to fostering trust in the institutions that must ensure the impartiality of the competition,” Madrid said. “By doing so, he continues to damage the image of our competition and Spanish soccer worldwide.”
Mourinho Criticizes Refereeing After Loss to Atletico
Real Madrid’s coach, José Mourinho, expressed frustration at a post-match news conference on Sunday, highlighting two instances where he believed Atletico players should have received red cards. He presented photos to support his claims and spent nearly five minutes discussing the ‘strange’ officiating decisions that have affected his team this season and in previous campaigns.
