Javier Tebas: “This isn’t football, it’s a power play”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas spoke out on social media after Real Madrid boycotted the Spanish Football Federation ahead of the Copa del Rey final.

Following Real Madrid’s decision to skip their scheduled training session and press conference on Friday, as well as their announcement that they would not attend the official pre-final dinner, Tebas posted a sharp message on X (formerly Twitter). Though he didn’t name Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid’s president, the message was clearly aimed at him.

“This isn’t football, it’s a power play. He doesn’t like Tebas because I don’t do what he wants. He doesn’t like Ceferin because he doesn’t do what he wants. He doesn’t like Louzán because he doesn’t do what he wants. He doesn’t like TV commentators because they don’t say what he wants. They don’t want progress in referee reform because it’s not the way he wants,” Tebas wrote.

The LaLiga chief continued:

“And now, after the referees’ statements—fed up with the constant harassment from Real Madrid TV—he responds the way he knows how: cancels the press conference. Skips training at La Cartuja. Snubs the official Copa final events. Leaks that he might not even attend the final. Such thin skin. He doesn’t protest, he pressures. He doesn’t complain, he threatens. He doesn’t disagree, he punishes. He doesn’t want better football, he wants his football. And the worst part isn’t that he tries to do it—it’s that so many allow, tolerate, and help him.”