Javier Tebas has highlighted Real Madrid’s lack of trophies over the past two seasons as he moved to defend La Liga’s financial model and criticise the way the Premier League is run.
The La Liga president was speaking at a reception in Madrid for clubs promoted to Spain’s professional divisions for the 2026-27 season, where he again rejected suggestions that Spanish football should copy the English top flight.
Tebas argued that the Premier League is often held up as the template for others to follow, particularly over competitiveness and financial strength, but insisted its apparent success masks serious underlying problems.
He also made a pointed reference to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, accusing the club of questioning La Liga’s rules whenever results on the pitch are not going their way.
“هناك اندية تشكك دايما في جميع انظمتنا والقواعد المالية، وكثيرا ما خرج ممثل ريال مدريد للتشكيك فيها؛ لكن هذا التشكيك يظهر في كثير من الاحيان بسبب الظروف الرياضية التي يمر بها النادي,” Tebas said, according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
He then underlined his argument by stressing that Real Madrid, referred to as “الفريق الملكي” in Spain, have not lifted any trophies in the last two years, and suggested that this sporting downturn lies behind much of the club’s criticism of the league.
Premier League losses under scrutiny
Tebas shifted his focus to the financial picture in England, setting out figures which he said demonstrated the scale of losses in the Premier League.
“في العام الماضي بلغت خساير الدوري الانجليزي مليار جنيه استرليني، وفي العام الذي سبقه خساير مماثلة، حتى وصلت الخساير الى 10 مليارات استرليني في السنوات الاخيرة. اذا كان هذا هو نموذج كرة القدم الذي نبحث عنه… فان استدامة الموسسات وتامين مستقبله ياتي فوق كل شيء,” he said.
The La Liga chief argued that long-term stability should be the priority for any competition, and questioned whether a league accumulating such losses could genuinely be seen as a model to emulate.
Tebas also evoked the example of Leicester City, who famously won the Premier League title but were later relegated and, as he put it, now find themselves “في دوري الدرجة الثالثة”.
He suggested Leicester’s trajectory illustrates the potential volatility of the English system and underlined what he sees as the importance of tighter financial controls to protect clubs over the long term.
Government role compared
Tebas ended his intervention by drawing a contrast between the regulatory approaches in England and Spain, pointing to the UK government’s decision to create an independent regulator for football.
“هم لا يضعون استدامة الاندية في الحسبان، ولهذا السبب تدخلت الحكومة البريطانية لادارة الدوري الانجليزي عبر هيية تنظيمية مستقلة، بينما نقوم نحن في اسبانيا بتنظيم امورنا المالية ذاتيا من خلال الاندية نفسها؛ بالتاكيد لم يقدموا على هذه الخطوة الا لان هناك خللا واضحا,” he said.
In his view, the move to external oversight in England is evidence that the current model there is not functioning as it should, whereas La Liga’s system of self-regulation through its clubs is presented as more sustainable.
The remarks are the latest contribution to an ongoing debate in Spain over whether La Liga should follow the Premier League’s commercial and sporting blueprint, or continue to pursue its own path based on stricter financial rules and internal governance.
They also reflect long-standing tensions between Tebas and Real Madrid, with Perez and the club frequently at odds with La Liga over issues ranging from financial regulations to broader plans for the future of European football.
