April 23 – LaLiga president Javier Tebas has downplayed the threat of suspension following a formal complaint lodged by Real Madrid, as tensions between Spain’s league boss and his two biggest clubs continue to escalate.
Unfazed by the legal challenge – which centres on an alleged breach of confidentiality—Tebas used a media briefing on LaLiga’s finances to redirect attention toward wider concerns, including fixture congestion, UEFA’s growing influence, and the financial vulnerability of domestic leagues amid piracy and shifting broadcast revenues.
His typically combative stance comes at a critical moment for Spanish football, with internal disputes and external pressures shaping its immediate future.
Tebas brushed aside Real Madrid’s complaint to the Administrative Tribunal for Sport (TAD), saying: “I’m not worried about it. I don’t think I’ll be sanctioned,” he said, instead questioning the legitimacy of the complaint’s supporting documentation and procedures.
Real Madrid’s complaint is that Tebas’ did not maintain the confidentiality of an internal vote conducted in April 2023, structured as an anonymous survey, that gathered clubs’ opinions on officiating standards. Tebas revealed the contents of the vote and Real Madrid’s position in a post on social network X.
At the media briefing Tebas also took aim at Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, who criticised LaLiga’s scheduling as “a joke” following limited recovery time before a Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
“There’s no discriminatory policy. We don’t manage for one club,” Tebas insisted, urging Flick to raise his grievances with UEFA and questioning why both European fixtures couldn’t be played on Wednesdays.
On a broader front, Tebas warned of declining audiovisual revenues for domestic competitions, pointing to piracy and the commercial weight of new UEFA formats as contributing factors. “UEFA is collecting more, and domestic leagues are losing revenue potential,” he said. “Serie A has lost €125 million, the Belgian league 20%. In Spain, we still have two years left on our contracts – but I’m worried.”
Tebas also addressed LaLiga’s ongoing disputes with Barcelona over the registrations of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, which have been escalated to the Court of Contentious Administration. Barcelona had used a sale of VIP seat leases to increase its revenue figure, in turn raising the amount of its salary cap figure and enabling the registrations of Olmo and Victor. However, the seat revenue was later removed from the accounts. Tebas clarified that the removal of VIP seat leases from their accounts was an auditor’s decision, not a directive from LaLiga.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1745451804labto1745451804ofdlr1745451804owedi1745451804sni@g1745451804niwe.1745451804yrrah1745451804