“When I became president, I immediately took action” - Javier Tebas lifts lid on ‘lack of respect’ Cristiano Ronaldo faced from fans in Spain
La Liga president Javier Tebas has opened up on the disrespect Cristiano Ronaldo faced from fans while he played in Spain.
The league has recently faced criticism, especially regarding racism against Vinicius Junior. Spanish police notably began investigating after an effigy of the Real Madrid winger was hung from a bridge in the capital city. He has been on the end of multiple racist incidents.
Meanwhile, Tebas has been very clear about La Liga's stand against racism and offensive behavior. He has revealed that he took office with a strong commitment to fighting these issues. In an interview with A Bola, the president discussed how Cristiano Ronaldo was targeted in Spain (via Essentially Sports):
“I remember very well when people used to shout ‘This Portuguese,…’, and when I became president, I immediately took action against this. We made all the complaints that needed to be made and, in two years, we managed to put an end to this lack of respect once and for all.”
While the Portuguese legend played for Real Madrid in 2015, he was notably mocked by fans saying “Cristiano is a drunk." He was then subjected to homophobic slurs in 2016.
Tebas condemned these incidents, describing them as “symbolic violence” and said (via Essentially Sports):
“When this happens, we use every means to identify who did it and bring it to justice. Spanish soccer isn’t racist; there are people who go to soccer and are racist, and we don’t want them in stadiums.”
Ronaldo spent nine years in La Liga, having joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 and left in 2018.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo exit "didn't damage" La Liga, as per Javier Tebas
La Liga president Javier Tebas believes that the Spanish top flight has remained strong even after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo left. The legendary duo had a big impact when they played in Spain, but Tebas doesn't think their departure hurt La Liga.
He told A Bola (via GOAL):
"[Messi and Ronaldo leaving] didn't cause any damage because we didn't shrink, but with them, we would certainly have grown faster. The French league with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe didn't grow, Cristiano Ronaldo went to Italy and the Italian league's international revenues didn't increase, ours did even though we lost them both."
Tebas has also mentioned the possibility of Kylian Mbappe moving to Real Madrid in the summer. The French World Cup winner reportedly has plans to leave Paris Saint-Germain and could join the Spanish giants without a transfer fee.
Tebas said:
"...In Spain there are always very good players, this year we have the best of the world that is [Jude] Bellingham, last season [Robert] Lewandowski was at a great level, Atletico has [Antoine] Griezmann, if Mbappe comes that will help us to be more competitive and grow even faster."
Cristiano Ronaldo now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, while Lionel Messi has moved to the MLS to play for Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, there is no certainty that Kylian Mbappe will join Los Blancos or play in Spain next season.