Javier Tebas slams the club that led the charge against the proposed La Liga match in Miami for renting out the Bernabéu to the NFL.
La Liga President Javier Tebas has unleashed a furious public statement, accusing Real Madrid of blatant hypocrisy after the newly renovated Santiago Bernabéu hosted the first-ever NFL game on Spanish soil this past weekend.
Tebas’s outburst comes in the wake of the successful campaign, spearheaded by Real Madrid, that ultimately led to the cancellation of his long-sought plan to stage a competitive La Liga match in Miami.
In a scathing 259-word statement on social media, Tebas implied that Real Madrid’s readiness to rent their stadium to the NFL—for a hefty fee—contradicted their prior stance on the sanctity of competition integrity regarding the canceled Miami game.
The Integrity Double Standard: Tebas Questions Real Madrid’s Motives
Tebas opened his attack by noting the irony: “We’ve been hearing for weeks how Sunday will be a ‘historic day for Spanish sport’ because the NFL will play in Madrid.”
“The most striking thing,” he continued, “the stadium belongs to the same club that led the crusade of ‘integrity’ against the Miami game… and now lends it gladly, prior payment of course.”
Tebas recalled that Real Madrid, along with other clubs and players, had vehemently opposed the proposed game between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami, citing concerns over “competition adulteration.” He bitterly remarked that they “sent letters to every institution possible, they only missed complaining to the Pope.”
For Tebas, the Bernabéu hosting the NFL proves that the opposition was not about tradition or integrity, but purely about power.
“It’s clear then that the intoxication and lack of future vision won. The problem [of the Miami game] wasn’t integrity, nor tradition nor information: the problem what who was driving it. It was driven by La Liga, an institution that everyone wants to control.”
Despite the setback, Tebas maintains that the Miami fixture—which would have been one match out of 380 per season—would have been a massive success, helping to “internationalize our competition.”
Tebas concluded his lengthy rant with a defiant promise that his plan, which he first introduced in 2018, is not dead: “We’ll keep trying.”
