La Liga president Javier Tebas has criticised Real Madrid over claims that refereeing decisions are part of a conspiracy against the Spanish giants following their 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in Sunday’s Madrid derby.
Tebas responded on Tuesday to criticism from Real Madrid and coach Jose Mourinho, who questioned several refereeing decisions during the match at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Mourinho arrived at his post-match press conference carrying printed images of two first-half tackles involving Atletico players Cristian Romero and Lee Kang-in. The Real Madrid manager argued that both incidents should have resulted in red cards.
Real Madrid were subsequently reduced to 10 men early in the second half when defender Dean Huijsen was sent off after bringing down Giuliano Simeone in the penalty area. Alejandro Grimaldo converted the resulting penalty before Jonathan David doubled Atletico’s lead. Antonio Rudiger later pulled one goal back for Real Madrid.
Mourinho also criticised the appointment of referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, questioning his lack of international experience. He additionally raised concerns about VAR official Daniel Jesus Trujillo and the decision-making of Spain’s refereeing appointments committee.
The Portuguese coach stopped short of directly alleging that the match had been deliberately manipulated, saying he wanted to believe the officials had simply made mistakes.
Tebas, however, rejected the broader narrative that referees are deliberately targeting Real Madrid.
In a social media response to an article supporting Madrid’s position, the La Liga president described the claims as a recurring “conspiracy” narrative and questioned the suggestion that refereeing decisions should be influenced by a club’s commercial importance.
Tebas argued that Real Madrid’s importance to La Liga did not give the club entitlement to preferential treatment from match officials.
“Real Madrid are crucial to La Liga,” Tebas said, while arguing that the competition also belonged to the other clubs, their supporters and their histories.
He further rejected suggestions that referees were being directed against the 15-time European champions, saying that portraying individual decisions as evidence of a coordinated conspiracy was not supported by the events of the match.
The dispute follows a tense opening period to the season for Real Madrid, who suffered their first defeat of the campaign against Atletico. The result left them six points behind league leaders Barcelona, according to reports following the derby.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone also urged caution in the aftermath of the match. Responding to the controversy surrounding Mourinho’s comments, Simeone said coaches and other football figures should be careful about what they say and avoid crossing the boundaries of respectful debate.
The refereeing controversy has also been heightened by an injury suffered by Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde during the derby. The club confirmed on Tuesday that the Uruguay international had sustained a grade-three sprain to his left ankle and would be sidelined for several weeks.
The injury followed a challenge from Lee Kang-in that Mourinho had highlighted during his post-match criticism of the officiating.
Tebas has previously been involved in public disagreements with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and has frequently criticised the club’s approach to refereeing controversies.
The latest exchange therefore adds another chapter to the long-running dispute between La Liga’s leadership and Real Madrid over officiating, institutional management and the public discussion of refereeing decisions.
For now, the league’s official position is that individual refereeing errors should not be interpreted as evidence of a coordinated effort against any club, while Real Madrid’s complaints have centred on specific decisions and the performance and appointment of the match officials.
