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Real Madrid have intensified their public criticism of figures in Spanish football, issuing two strongly worded statements aimed at LaLiga president Javier Tebas and Cope journalist Juanma Castaño.
The statements, both dated September 22, 2026, address separate controversies but share a common theme: Real Madrid's objection to what the club considers attacks on its reputation and the role of its official media operation.
In its statement concerning Tebas, Real Madrid accused the LaLiga president of repeatedly using his institutional position to discredit and attack the club.
The club said it was particularly concerned that Tebas had responded to an article by an independent journalist in a digital media outlet by directing criticism towards Real Madrid and commenting on its sporting strategy.
Real Madrid described that intervention as inappropriate and irresponsible, arguing that the head of LaLiga should focus on representing and protecting the interests of all clubs rather than repeatedly making the Madrid side a target of public criticism.
The club also claimed that Tebas' approach was damaging the image of LaLiga and Spanish football internationally, and called for professional football in Spain to have leadership that operates with “the fundamental duty of neutrality”.
Real Madrid further stressed that the LaLiga president is not the owner of the competition, but a manager serving the clubs that comprise it.
The second statement concerned comments made by Castaño in an article published in ABC, in which Real Madrid said the journalist had compared Realmadrid TV with the newspaper Gara.
Real Madrid described the comparison as “absolutely deplorable and unacceptable”, arguing that Gara's history is linked to the ETA terrorist organisation. The club characterised the comparison as an extremely serious allegation that, in its view, crossed acceptable boundaries.
The club defended Realmadrid TV as its official media outlet and said it legitimately exercises its right to report on and defend the interests of Real Madrid, its members and supporters.
It also highlighted the club's 124-year history and its global following, arguing that Realmadrid TV represents the views and values of millions of supporters.
Real Madrid concluded by saying it reserved the right to take whatever measures it considered appropriate in response to what it called an unacceptable attack.
Taken together, the two statements illustrate an increasingly confrontational public posture from Real Madrid towards criticism coming from both football administrators and sections of the Spanish media.
The Tebas statement focuses primarily on institutional responsibility. Real Madrid's central argument is that the president of LaLiga should maintain neutrality and avoid publicly targeting an individual club. The club also challenges what it sees as an inappropriate overlap between Tebas' responsibilities as league president and commentary on Real Madrid's sporting decisions.
The Castaño statement, meanwhile, centres on the reputation of the club and its official media operation. Rather than debating the substance of Realmadrid TV's coverage, Real Madrid focuses on the comparison itself, arguing that the historical associations it attributes to Gara make the analogy unacceptable.
There is also a notable difference in the club's response to the two disputes. Against Tebas, Real Madrid goes beyond criticism of a specific comment and questions the suitability of the leadership structure of Spanish professional football, calling for a figure capable of managing the competition with neutrality. In the statement concerning Castaño, the club stops short of specifying a response but explicitly reserves the right to pursue measures it considers appropriate.
The two announcements therefore represent separate disputes, but both reflect Real Madrid's stated determination to challenge what it regards as attacks on its institutional standing, reputation and interests. They also underline the broader tensions that can emerge between one of Spain's most prominent clubs, the organisation responsible for running the domestic competition and influential voices within the country's sports media.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels / Omar Ramadan, Pixabay / Geordie
