La Liga chief Javier Tebas responds to Real Madrid refereeing controversy

Spanish sports media have been discussing controversial calls by the officials since Monday, and after seeing a media article further alleging bias/conspiracy, Tebas decided not to leave the criticism unanswered, commenting on his X/Twitter that the defeat cannot be explained solely by the referees' actions.

The La Liga chief added that claims of bias against Real Madrid have no basis, saying that "claiming that referees are directed against Real is living in another galaxy." He believes such a "permanent conspiracy" allows people to avoid examining "what's happening on the pitch."

According to Tebas, the actions of Madrid's media to express their frustration were a "cruel and unfair way of putting pressure on referees". I understand the complaints, but never the manner in which they were made. Madrid didn't lose because of those incidents," he added.

The dispute intensified after the final whistle as two match incidents involving Lee Kang-in and Cristian Romero resulted in Madrid's particular indignation. Real Madrid manager José Mourinho printed out screenshots and showed them at his press conference, calling them "two clear red cards" for the hosts.

Real soon issued an official response, describing Tebas' conduct as "unacceptable" and accusing him of "using his institutional position to continue discrediting and attacking the team".

Later on, the disciplinary action was taken against referee Ortiz Arias, but this didn't cease the confrontation, leaving the relations between Real Madrid and La Liga management far from resolved.

In the meantime, this leaves La Liga fans who are looking at sports betting tips ahead of the next round in complete turmoil over how the dispute between all sides could impact the future outcomes of the matches.