Tebas hits back at Mourinho and Real Madrid over refereeing claims

LaLiga president Javier Tebas waded into the continuing debate over refereeing following the Madrid derby. As L'Équipe reports, the controversy around decisions in that match remains intense, and Tebas responded to the wave of criticism coming from Real Madrid—both on the club’s social media and through the newspaper As.

Tebas’ blunt response

Tebas pushed back hard against the suggestion that referees are being directed against Real Madrid. Instead, according to L'Équipe, he targeted the framing that has been put forward in the aftermath of the incident, including comments attributed to José Mourinho and the stance taken by Real Madrid.

The core conflict is straightforward: while the club insists on bias in officiating, the LaLiga boss argues that this is not grounded in the reality of what happened on the pitch.

What happens next

For now, the main battleground stays the same—how to interpret the derby’s refereeing and whether the criticisms are justified. What Tebas’ intervention does change is the tone: it is a direct, public pushback that keeps the controversy at the center of the conversation heading into the next round of matches.

As L'Équipe notes, Tebas made it clear he does not buy the narrative being promoted by Real Madrid after the derby controversy, in both digital channels and the mainstream press.