Tebas replies to Real Madrid’s statement asking for him to step down as La Liga president

La Liga president Javier Tebas posted a reply to Real Madrid 's statement asking for him to step down as La Liga president following his comments about the controversy during Sunday's Madrid Derbi against Atlético de Madrid .

I have read the statement. I fully agree with one sentence: the president of LaLiga is not the owner of the competition. Neither is the president of Real Madrid.

Representing all clubs requires defending equality and fairness among them. Also when it is stated that "LaLiga is worth nothing" without Real Madrid or that the referees harm "the business that feeds them." On those assertions, which motivated my response, your statement says not a word.

Now they hide behind the fact that I responded to an "independent" journalist. But neither the narrative is new, nor is the strategy of diverting attention from other problems. They have been doing it for years from Real Madrid TV and through their spokespeople, talking and writing about a rigged League week after week. Don't pretend to present as an outside opinion the discourse they fuel from their own television and from within the club.

They demand that I contribute to generating confidence in the impartiality of the competition. Precisely for that reason, I reject the narrative that referees are directed against Real Madrid. Criticizing a referee's decision is legitimate. Turning every perceived harm into proof of a persecution is another thing. Does that generate confidence or does it damage the image of Spanish football?

They confuse neutrality with independence. If by neutrality they mean not taking sides on anything, not even between what is right and what is wrong, they are asking me to renounce my responsibility. Independence requires deciding with one's own judgment, without pressures or subordination, applying the same rules to everyone and defending the common interest. That implies making decisions and taking a stand, even if Real Madrid doesn't like it.

Defending the interests of a club does not mean adopting its discourse. And representing everyone does not mean obeying the most powerful. The interests of the competition, of LaLiga, must be defended.

I am not the owner of LaLiga, nor will I manage it as if it belonged to a single club. I respect everyone. Subordination to no one. Source: Tebas' X account