The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, has fueled the controversy with his statements, going as far as to call them serious, referring to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The LaLiga chief spoke at an informational forum about the ‘Negreira case,’ the registration of Dani Olmo, and the refereeing complaints coming from the White club. He also stated that he feels “ashamed” of the current state of Spanish football.
Tebas: “Barça would be relegated if the Negreira case had not been time-barred”
Javier Tebas was very direct when discussing the “Negreira case,” the scandal involving FC Barcelona’s payments to the former vice-president of the Referees’ Technical Committee, José María Enríquez Negreira. “Sports corruption falls within the criminal sphere, and in this sphere, it is not time-barred,” said Tebas, who also insisted that the case is still open in the ordinary courts.
The president of LaLiga explained that, within the disciplinary framework of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), it has indeed expired, making it impossible to sanction the club in national competitions. He stated: “If it had not been time-barred, Barcelona would have already been relegated.”
Tebas also criticized Florentino Pérez’s stance on the scandal, pointing out that the Real Madrid president was part of the RFEF’s Governing Board until November 2023 but “remained silent” until the case became public.
Tebas: “Olmo should not finish the league with Barça”
Tebas expressed his frustration over Dani Olmo’s registration in LaLiga and FC Barcelona’s financial management: “Olmo should not finish the league at Barça” due to the club’s financial difficulties.
“In August, they already knew they had to find solutions, but they tried to solve it within three days, and trying to do things like that wouldn’t work,” he said, referring to the club’s last-minute attempt to fix the issue. In any case, he pointed out that the company guaranteeing the payment “didn’t seem very solvent” and that everything was resolved within twenty-four hours thanks to precautionary measures granted by the CSD.
Barcelona’s finances, beyond drawing the attention of LaLiga’s president, are “worrying and very sad. They have to turn things around. The sale of Barça Studios has not gone well for them,” he concluded, highlighting the financial losses and insisting that fixing this situation should be the board’s number one priority.
Tebas: “I’m starting to feel ashamed of what I’ve experienced as a Real Madrid fan”
Tebas also addressed Real Madrid’s “conspiracy theories.” He said, “I’m starting to feel ashamed of what I have experienced as a Real Madrid fan.”
“If they win, it’s because they have triumphed against all the forces of good and evil; if they lose, it’s because there is a conspiracy,” he joked.
Tebas also pointed out that Real Madrid did not participate in the club assembly where the future of refereeing was debated, despite their constant complaints about the current system.
The LaLiga president stated that he has also filed a complaint against Real Madrid with the Competition Committee over certain unspecified statements regarding the alleged “manipulation” of the competition. “These are serious words, and they cause a lot of damage,” he concluded.
Regarding the Super League, he rejected Florentino Pérez’s project and called it a “football oligarchy.” “In three years, they have presented three different formats—this is not serious at all,” he said, convinced that the proposed private league is unsustainable under current regulations.