La Liga president Javier Tebas has fired back at Real Madrid with a stern warning, insisting that the club’s proposed refereeing dossier risks damaging the integrity of Spanish football.
Real Madrid have long been vocal critics of officiating in La Liga, but tensions reached new heights following the controversial red card shown to Dean Huijsen in Saturday’s clash with Real Sociedad.
While many felt the defender’s dismissal was harsh given Éder Militão’s positioning, Madrid responded by compiling a report of what they describe as repeated refereeing “blunders” this season and last, which they plan to submit to FIFA.
Tebas, however, cautioned against such drastic measures. Speaking at a Panini event, the league chief stressed that Madrid’s dossier must be balanced.
“If it only covers Madrid and Barcelona, it will be a biased report,” Tebas said. “We have Opta’s data on expulsions, penalties, and refereeing for all clubs. Everyone must be very careful with what they say, because it damages the competition.”
The La Liga president also floated a potential solution to ease referee controversies, suggesting Spain’s top flight could adopt the Football Video Support (FVS) system currently used in the Primera RFEF. Under this model, managers are granted two VAR appeals per match instead of leaving decisions entirely to the VAR room.
“It would reduce the controversy. It’s rarely talked about, but it should be considered,” Tebas added.
With Real Madrid pushing for reform and Tebas pushing back, the refereeing debate in Spanish football looks set to intensify further.
