Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, dismissed Real Madrid's refereeing "conspiracy" claims as a "smokescreen" on September 22, 2026, after coach José Mourinho accused match officials of bias following Real Madrid's 2-1 derby defeat to Atlético Madrid.

The Derby Defeat That Sparked It

The latest flashpoint in a long-running feud between La Liga's governing body and Real Madrid began at the Metropolitano Stadium, where Atlético Madrid defeated their city rivals 2-1 in Sunday's capital derby. The result marked an early setback for José Mourinho, who returned for a second spell in charge at the Santiago Bernabéu in the close-season, tasked with ending a two-year spell without a major trophy for the 15-time European champions.

Mourinho was furious that Atlético defender was not sent off for what he characterized as a serious foul on Jude Bellingham during the match. At his post-match news conference, the Real Madrid coach brought two printed screenshots of what he believed were red-card tackles committed by Atlético players, using the physical evidence to argue that his team had been denied justice by the officiating crew. Mourinho went further, suggesting that referee Miguel Ortiz Arias "couldn't cope with the pressure" of the high-profile fixture due to a lack of experience at that level.

Tebas Fires Back

The response from La Liga's leadership came two days later, on Tuesday, when Tebas took to social media with a lengthy rebuttal aimed squarely at the narrative building around Real Madrid's grievances. Rather than responding directly to Mourinho, Tebas shared a pro-Real Madrid article that had argued referees were harming "the business that feeds them," using it as a springboard for a broader critique of what he sees as a recurring pattern.

"Here they go again, the mouthpieces and the regime's television, building the same old narrative — the permanent conspiracy," Tebas wrote, in a clear reference to Real Madrid TV and media outlets closely aligned with the club. He didn't stop there, mocking what he characterized as a rotating set of justifications the club reaches for whenever officiating becomes a talking point: "When it isn't the Negreira case, it's the referee; or else, the complaint is that the official isn't an international-level referee."

Tebas was most pointed on the substance of the conspiracy claim itself. "Claiming that referees are directed against Real Madrid is living in another galaxy," he said. "That narrative serves as a smokescreen to hide other shortcomings that are plain to see in these opening matches of the season. It's more comfortable to point to a conspiracy than to explain what's happening on the pitch."

Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente also weighed in on the debate, joining Tebas in dismissing Real Madrid's claims, according to reporting on the episode, adding a layer of institutional pushback beyond just the league's own leadership.

A Recurring Pattern Between Tebas and Madrid

This is far from the first time Tebas and Real Madrid have clashed over officiating. The La Liga president, who has often been at odds with Real Madrid and the club's outspoken president Florentino Pérez, has a lengthy track record of publicly challenging the club's complaints about refereeing standards.

Earlier in his tenure, following a separate controversy involving a red card shown to Jude Bellingham in a match against Osasuna, Tebas labeled Real Madrid "a crying club," taking aim not just at the refereeing complaints but at Pérez's leadership style directly, which he described in pointed terms during an interview. On that occasion, Tebas argued that Real Madrid TV was responsible for manufacturing controversy and writing what he called a "false story" that questioned the integrity of Spanish football as a whole.

In another prior episode, after Real Madrid sent a formal letter of complaint to the Spanish Football Federation and the Spanish High Sports Council over a disputed red-card non-decision involving Kylian Mbappé, Tebas escalated matters further, announcing that La Liga would file its own complaint against the club, its board, and whoever signed the letter. At a meeting of La Liga clubs, the Spanish Football Federation, and representatives of the Spanish refereeing committee — which Real Madrid did not attend — Tebas didn't mince words: "They are against everything. That's the reality. Real Madrid want to damage the competition, not just the referees." He accused the club of constructing "a narrative of victimhood" that he said simply wasn't true.

Even before that, Tebas had accused Real Madrid of "crying" and promoting a "global conspiracy theory," telling Spanish media outlet Europa Press that he was "starting to feel ashamed" of certain aspects of his own experience as a Real Madrid supporter, given how the club handled disputes over officiating. His characterization at the time captured what has become a consistent theme in his criticism: "If they win, it is because they have fought against the forces of evil, and if they lose, it is because of a referee conspiracy."

Real Madrid's Perspective

It's worth noting that Real Madrid's grievances aren't without specific factual anchors, even if Tebas rejects the broader conspiracy framing. The club has repeatedly pointed to individual, contestable refereeing decisions — non-awarded red cards, disallowed goals, and VAR calls — as evidence of a systemic pattern rather than isolated errors. In the Mbappé-related dispute, for instance, Real Madrid specifically requested access to VAR audio from the incident, arguing that the decision-making process itself deserved scrutiny, not just the outcome. The club described that particular episode as "the latest and most serious manifestation of a refereeing system whose credibility has been completely undermined."

Mourinho, in his own comments following the Atlético defeat, was careful to frame his criticism around specific plays rather than issuing a blanket accusation, though the underlying implication — that officiating decisions have consistently gone against Real Madrid — echoes the club's long-standing institutional position on the matter.

Why the Dispute Matters Beyond One Match

The conflict between Tebas and Real Madrid extends well beyond any single refereeing decision. It touches on deeper tensions within Spanish football, including disagreements over league governance, revenue distribution, and Real Madrid's historical involvement in efforts like the failed European Super League project — disputes that have made Tebas and Pérez frequent adversaries in the Spanish football press over the years.

For neutral observers, the pattern raises a genuine question that goes beyond this particular derby: whether the recurring friction reflects legitimate concerns about refereeing standards and consistency in La Liga, an institutional rivalry between two of Spanish football's most powerful figures, or some combination of both. Tebas's position — that pointing to conspiracy theories distracts from on-pitch performance issues — sits opposite Real Madrid's stance that specific, repeated officiating errors warrant formal scrutiny rather than dismissal.

What Comes Next

As of this week's exchange, there's no indication that Real Madrid plans to escalate this particular incident to a formal complaint, as they have done in past disputes, though the club's history suggests that possibility can't be ruled out if similar contentious decisions arise in upcoming fixtures. Meanwhile, Tebas shows no sign of softening his public stance, having used nearly identical language — "conspiracy," "crying," "narrative of victimhood" — across multiple incidents spanning different seasons.

With Mourinho now leading the club and reportedly under pressure to deliver a trophy after two barren years, and with La Liga's early-season matches already generating officiating controversy, the dynamic between Real Madrid and La Liga's leadership appears likely to remain a recurring storyline as the season progresses.