La Liga Chief Dismisses Real Madrid's Referee Conspiracy Claims

La Liga president Javier Tebas has strongly refuted claims of a refereeing conspiracy against Real Madrid, stating that such accusations are akin to "living in another galaxy." The comments come in response to Real manager Jose Mourinho's allegations following the team's 2-1 defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid.

Mourinho, after the match, presented printouts of screenshots to the press conference, asserting that officials had made crucial errors and that Atletico should have had two players sent off in the first half. Tebas, addressing these allegations on social media, suggested that the narrative of a conspiracy serves as a convenient excuse to conceal other performance issues.

"Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy," Tebas stated. "That narrative serves as an excuse to cover up other shortcomings that are plain to see in these first matches of the season. It's more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what's happening on the pitch."

Real Madrid currently sits fourth in the La Liga standings, six points behind league leaders Barcelona, who have won all seven of their games this season. The defeat against Atletico saw Real reduced to 10 men after defender Dean Huijsen was shown a red card. Mourinho specifically pointed to two incidents he believed warranted red cards for Atletico players, arguing that playing against nine men would have drastically altered the game's outcome.

Tebas has a history of public disagreements with Real Madrid and its president Florentino Perez, notably regarding their past plans to join a European Super League in 2021. In 2025, Tebas had also criticized Real Madrid's formal letter of complaint to the Spanish Football Association regarding officiating, stating the club had "lost their head."