The Administrative Court of Sport investigates a possible formal infringement by Tebas, while 37 LaLiga clubs close ranks in his defense, intensifying the pulse with Florentino Pérez

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Javier Tebas under the TAD's magnifying glass: LaLiga's president faces a file that shakes up Spanish soccer

The TAD (Administrative Court of Sport) has recently opened a file against Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, for a formal issue related to the convening of an assembly in August 2021. The meeting, scheduled 8 days in advance instead of the 10 days required by the regulations, was subsequently remedied when LaLiga rescheduled the assembly for December of that same year, respecting the established deadline. Despite this correction, CAS considers that Tebas may have infringed Article 76.1.a) of the Sports Law, which could lead to sanctions ranging from a simple public reprimand to disqualification or removal from office.

This incident has also reached the civil courts, where LaLiga won the first round, although an appeal is still pending resolution. In the meantime, TAD continues with its proceedings, which has raised blisters among the clubs that make up LaLiga. Of the 42 teams that make up the competition, 37 have expressed their support for Tebas and have tried to appear in the process to defend the actions of their president. However, the instructor of the case, Jaime Caravaca, has denied their request, preventing the court from taking into account the position of the majority of the clubs. This decision has caused surprise, as it was not only adopted by the instructor alone, but also prevents CAS from hearing those who, supposedly, should be the most interested in the outcome of the proceedings: the clubs themselves.

The confrontation between Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, and Javier Tebas is well known in the soccer world. Florentino has tried several times in court to reverse LaLiga decisions that have not favored him in internal votes. However, in most cases, Tebas has had the backing of the vast majority of clubs, leaving Perez in the minority alongside his occasional allies, Barcelona and Athletic Club. In this specific case, Real Madrid is the only club that has been harmed, which has not prevented the other 37 teams from closing ranks around Tebas, rejecting the accusations against him.

The clubs argue that their legitimate interest in the proceedings is clear. First, they consider that the proceedings directly affect the holder of a statutory body of LaLiga, who is its highest representative and in charge of executing its decisions. Furthermore, the assembly in question was convened for the benefit of the association and its members, as the urgency of the meeting was justified by the need to approve crucial agreements for the operation of LaLiga in a post-pandemic context, where clarity on budgets was vital.

The clubs underline that in similar judicial proceedings, both LaLiga and its members have been admitted without problems as interested parties, which contrasts with CAS's decision to exclude them on this occasion. In addition, they recall that the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) usually recognizes the interest of professional federations and leagues in similar proceedings, allowing them to participate when CAS decisions are challenged in contentious-administrative proceedings.

Conclusion

In short, the confrontation between Javier Tebas and CAS has highlighted the internal tensions in Spanish soccer, where alliances and rivalries play a crucial role in the management of the beautiful game. While Tebas has the almost unanimous backing of the clubs, the shadow of the sanction is still present, feeding a conflict that seems far from being resolved. The CAS ruling could have significant implications for Tebas' leadership and the stability of LaLiga, at a time when Spanish soccer needs more unity than ever to face the challenges of the future.