{
  "id": 9181816,
  "title": "La Liga president hits out at Real Madrid refereeing 'conspiracy' claims",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/la-liga-president-hits-out-at-real-madrid-refereeing-conspiracy-claims-9181816",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-22T19:11:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/la-liga-president-hits-real-102725624.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "La Liga president Javier Tebas criticized Real Madrid over allegations of a refereeing conspiracy following their 2-1 loss to Atletico Madrid. Mourinho, the Real Madrid coach, presented two screenshots of red-card tackles he claimed Atletico players committed during the match. Tebas responded to a pro-Real Madrid social media article with a strong rebuttal, accusing the club and its officials of perpetuating a \"permanent conspiracy\" narrative. He questioned the basis for such accusations, asking if refereeing should be based on revenue, viewership, or the badge. Tebas emphasized that Real Madrid is vital to La Liga, but claiming the league is worthless without them reveals a lack of respect for other clubs, fans, and the sport's history. Madrid has struggled in the early season, sitting six points behind Barcelona in the standings. Tebas dismissed the conspiracy theory as an excuse to mask other shortcomings evident in the early matches. Real Madrid responded to Tebas' comments as \"intolerable,\" stating their club finds it unacceptable for La Liga's president to continue discrediting and attacking the team. The club believes professional football in Spain needs a leader capable of managing the sport with neutrality. Mourinho, appointed for a second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, acknowledged a clear error in refereeing and suggested VAR should have intervened in one of the cited fouls.",
  "summary": "La Liga president Javier Tebas hit out on Tuesday at what he deemed accusations of a refereeing \"conspiracy\" by Real Madrid following their derby loss to Atletico Madrid.\"Real Madrid are crucial to La Liga.",
  "key_points": [
    "La Liga president Tebas criticizes Real Madrid over alleged refereeing conspiracy.",
    "Real Madrid coach Mourinho presented screenshots of red-card tackles.",
    "Tebas dismissed conspiracy theory as excuse for other shortcomings."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "La Liga president slams Madrid over refereeing conspiracy claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/la-liga-president-slams-madrid-over-refereeing-conspiracy-claims",
        "published": "2026-09-22T19:58:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}