La Liga President Unleashes Scathing Assault on Real Madrid Over NFL Game Decision
La Liga chief Javier Tebas launched a scathing attack on Real Madrid for allowing an NFL match at their stadium this weekend, following their opposition to the scrapped La Liga fixture in Miami.
According to Tebas, Real Madrid's decision to make their recently refurbished Santiago Bernabéu available for NFL use demonstrated clear double standards after their campaign against the Miami match. Following the collapse of his vision for a game on American territory, Tebas unleashed a 259-word tirade on social media.
"We've been listening for weeks about how Sunday will mark a 'historic moment for Spanish athletics' as the NFL comes to Madrid," Tebas stated.
"What's most remarkable: the venue belongs to the very club that spearheaded the 'integrity' campaign against the Miami fixture ... and now happily provides it, following payment naturally.
"Back then they had players and supporters echoing identical talking points, using identical phrases about competitive corruption. They wrote to every possible organization, they practically forgot only to petition the Vatican.
"It's obvious that poisoning and shortsightedness prevailed. The issue [with the Miami game] wasn't about integrity, tradition or transparency: the issue was about leadership. It was led by La Liga, an organization that everyone seeks to dominate."
Javier Tebas Continues Advocating for La Liga Match on American Territory
Villarreal was set to face Barcelona in a 2025–26 La Liga encounter at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Dec. 20. Real Madrid openly resisted the fixture and ultimately succeeded as Tebas's ambitious plan collapsed.
From Tebas's perspective, an official La Liga match on American territory would represent tremendous success across all metrics, a point he emphasized again during his lengthy criticism.
"The Miami fixture had secured complete attendance, an event schedule equal to or exceeding current activities [NFL events in Spain before the game] and would have assisted in globalizing our league. We were discussing one fixture from the 380 La Liga contests throughout a season."
Real Madrid wasn't alone in rejecting the Miami fixture. Players across all teams, supporters and virtually every club except Villarreal and Barcelona opposed the initiative. Nevertheless, Tebas remains determined to realize the vision he initially proposed in 2018, concluding his statement with three significant words.
"We'll continue pursuing."