LaLiga president Javier Tebas labelled Vinicius Junior's criticism of the league's anti-racism work "unfair" after the Real Madrid winger vented his frustration on social media.

Madrid beat Real Valladolid 2-0 at the Jose Zorrilla on Friday, but the match was marred for Vinicius.

The Brazil international wrote on Instagram the following day that "racists continue to go to the stadiums and see the best club in the world up close, and LaLiga continues to do nothing".

Vinicius was substituted during the match and almost hit by several objects thrown from the stands as he walked behind one of the goals, with fans appearing to direct racist chants at him.

Tebas rejected Vinicius' claim that LaLiga is doing nothing to drive racists out of the sport, however.

"At LaLiga we have been fighting racism for years," Tebas tweeted. "Vinicius Junior, it is unfair and not true to publish that 'LaLiga does nothing against racism'.

"Find out more. We are at your disposal so that all together we can go in the same direction."

Also included in the tweet from Tebas was the link to a LaLiga statement that insisted the incidents in Valladolid will be reported to the hate crimes prosecutors' office; additionally, it documented previous instances of complaints being filed with legal authorities, in an attempt to disprove Vinicius' criticism.

"Before the publication of Vinicius Jr, a Real Madrid player, on his social networks making a comment in which he alludes to the lack of action measures by LaLiga in the fight against racism, LaLiga has detected racist insults from someone from the stands of the Zorrilla stadium, [which were] published on social networks," the statement began.

"These events will be reported to the anti-violence commission and the hate crimes prosecutor's office, as has been done on other occasions in which LaLiga, after investigating racist behaviour inside and outside the stadiums, has led the fight against this type of act."

LaLiga has called for UEFA to issue "immediate sport sanctions" against Juventus following the mass resignation of the club's board, including president Andrea Agnelli.

Juve announced after an emergency meeting on Monday that Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and managing director Maurizio Arrivabene have all quit their roles.

It comes amid an investigation into alleged tax fraud, which Juventus have denied, and on the back of the club registering a record loss of €254.3million for 2021-22. 

Now, a statement from LaLiga has called the sport's European governing body to take action in response to the developments.

"Following the resignation of the Juventus board of directors, LaLiga demands immediate sports sanctions to be applied on the club," read a league statement.

"LaLiga filed an official complaint against Juventus with UEFA in April 2022 reporting financial fair play breaches being investigated by Italy´s Guardia di Finanza.

"Specifically, the complaint charges that Juventus accounted for transfers above fair value and under accounted for employee expenses, resulting in a breach of UEFA break even requirements.

"This Monday, in the same statement announcing the resignation of its board, Juventus acknowledges financial accounting irregularities, which are also aimed at misleading UEFA financial fair play authorities, among others.

"LaLiga continues to pursue these complaints against Juventus and demands immediate sporting sanctions to be applied on the club by the relevant authorities."

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has both overseen a strict level of financial discipline among the league's clubs, and has frequently been at odds with the state-owned model of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

In addition, he was one of Agnelli's most vocal critics, amid the attempts by Juventus and two of the teams under his watch, Barcelona and Real Madrid, to create the breakaway European Super League.

"LaLiga has long been a major proponent for the implementation, application, and enforcement of strong financial sustainability rules in football," the statement added.

"Financial sustainability is paramount to protecting the business of football. Protect our football."

LaLiga has warned a fresh attempt to launch a European Super League will be offering only a rehashed version of the competition that launched and collapsed within days last year, leaving clubs humiliated.

The Spanish league is determined to fend off a new proposition for an elite league, and has warned it would "destroy" the existing structure of the domestic game.

In a statement, LaLiga pointed to a previous proposal from 2019, as well as the calamitous launching of the Super League last year that saw 12 teams agree to take part, before almost all pulled out in a hurry after a furious backlash from fans, politicians and football governing bodies.

It was revealed in October 2022 that A22 Sports Management – a company representing the Super League clubs – is planning to revive the proposals. Bernd Reichart, a media executive, has been appointed to head up the plans.

LaLiga said on Twitter on Friday: "The promoters of the Super League are now preparing a model similar to the one put forward in 2019, which is still closed or mostly closed, which will destroy the national leagues and which has already been rejected by clubs and leagues in Europe."

Spanish giants Barcelona are among the teams still keen on the idea of a new competition, with club president Joan Laporta last month saying it would be "more even" than the current system, claiming UEFA is not satisfactorily enforcing the ethos of financial fair play.

LaLiga published a video expressing its opposition to the Super League, in which it stated that "the whole of European football took a stand against its closed, selfish and elitist model".

"Now the promoters of the Super League are trying to conceal its format, claiming that they still don't have a fixed model although it will be an inclusive and open," LaLiga added.

"We know that this is false, and that they want to present a semi-closed format similar to 2019 which has already been rejected by the clubs and European leagues.

"This model is based on promotion and relegation between European divisions where the national leagues do not provide direct access to the top tier. On the contrary, they perpetuate the participation of a privileged few, even if they perform poorly in their domestic leagues.

"To be clear: anything less than any club earning its place in Europe's top flight through success in the domestic leagues will remain a closed or semi-closed model.

"We have also heard that the Super League wants to claim to be the saviour of football, saying that the current system no longer appeals to young people. Fake news. As an example, data shows that LaLiga's audience in Spain among those under the age of 24 has increased by more than 22 per cent in the last four seasons."

LaLiga also said research showed football's global fan base had risen by 3.4 per cent in the 16-29 age bracket, while stating TikTok metrics revealed 60 per cent of its mainly young audience consumes football content.

The statement from LaLiga said the Super League's promise of "a more exciting competition" would in reality mean "a constant stream of the same type of clashes, turning the extraordinary into the ordinary".

It warned such a competition "would destroy the ability to turn dreams into reality", denying smaller clubs than the cherry-picked elite the long-established pathway to competition at the highest level.

LaLiga, whose president Javier Tebas has been a vocal opponent of the proposed new competition, added: "The promoters of the Super League must respect the will of European fans and citizens, where the Council of Europe has already taken a position against the Super League and the European Parliament has defended an open, democratic model based on meritocracy."

Lionel Messi is "missed by football" because at Paris Saint-Germain he does not have the same audience as at Barcelona, according to LaLiga president Javier Tebas.

Messi left Barca in 2020 after the club's financial issues led to a significantly reduced salary limit in LaLiga, thus preventing them re-signing him after his contract expired.

He moved to PSG and, after a somewhat underwhelming first season on an individual level, Messi is thriving again this season.

But Tebas' perception is Messi is wasted in Ligue 1 because it does not have the same global audience as LaLiga and Barcelona.

Speaking at the Sports Summits organised by Argentinian newspaper Ole, Tebas said: "I think Messi is not only missed in LaLiga, he is missed by football because the French league is what it is, right?

"I think that no matter how many [superstars] are at PSG, Messi is followed much less than when he was at Barcelona. Let's hope he has a great World Cup, because there we will all be able to see him again.

"I don't see all the fans watching PSG against Nantes, I don't see it. With Barca it's the opposite."

Messi's future has become a hot topic again in recent weeks, with speculation beginning to swirl regarding his next destination.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has been linked with a move to MLS side Inter Miami, PSG want to renew his contract, and Barcelona are reportedly aiming to bring him back to Camp Nou.

 

Tebas could not offer any insight, but he was unequivocal in what he thinks Messi should do.

"I don't know if Messi will have one last show at Barca, that will depend on him," he continued.

"Hopefully he will come back. Above all it would also be good for him to return to Spanish football, especially to the team that has always been the team that birthed him.

"I think [leaving] was a mistake even for him, in my opinion, breaking up a marriage that was a very beneficial long-term alliance for Messi and for Barca itself."

Tebas' critical Ligue 1 comments come at a time when LaLiga's own reputation is hardly sky-high.

For the first time this century, Spain will have only one representative in the knockout stages of the Champions League after Atletico Madrid, Barca and Sevilla were all eliminated in the groups.

LaLiga was once considered the Premier League's biggest rival, but the English top flight has since moved to a level of its own in economic terms.

However, Tebas feels LaLiga still holds its own compared to the Premier League in a sporting sense.

"It is difficult for us to reach the Premier League economically, due to a population issue, but at a technological and sporting level, we are competing," he said.

"It is not necessary to see what happened last season or what may happen in this one, you have to see the last 10 seasons or more.

"Since the beginning of the century, LaLiga has won 35 European titles between the Champions League and Europa League [and Super Cup], and the Premier has won 13.

"And in the last 10 seasons LaLiga has won 60 per cent of the titles. I think we are not bad and we can withstand the pull of the Premier League, despite the fact that economically they may be stronger.

"We must remember this and not only look at how the Champions League group stage has finished this season."

LaLiga president Javier Tebas feels sanctions against Paris Saint-Germain are too lenient, comparing potential fines as comparable to "a cup of coffee" in cost for the club.

The Ligue 1 outfit, who are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, are one of the highest-spending sides in European football, under the watch of chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

PSG's transactions have come under intense scrutiny from critics, with the club previously handed a €65million fine - with €55m suspended - for Financial Fair Play breaches.

Tebas, however, feels such repercussions are too soft on the French outfit, who he claims are dismantling the sport's rulebook.

"€10m for PSG and Nasser is a cup of coffee!" he told L'Equipe. "Sanctions have to be dissuasive and also affect the sporting side of things.

"That has not been the case with those that were taken. These penalties don’t work, they have to be sanctioned now.

"Over the last six or seven seasons, PSG have lost a billion euros. They are breaking the European football ecosystem.

"How can other clubs compete with someone who has losses of one billion euros? It’s difficult."

 

Barcelona will need to reduce their wage bill next term, says LaLiga president Javier Tebas, as the club do not have the income in order to match their pay packets.

The Blaugrana have famously been in financial turmoil over recent seasons, yet have been able to conduct high-priced transfer dealings through the activation of financial "levers" and risky strategies.

These have been born out of selling off crucial non-playing assets, helping to secure moves for Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha ahead of the new campaign amongst others.

But Tebas and league corporate general manager Javier Gomez say Xavi's team will need to cut their cloth, while defending the league's actions that have seen them seemingly over-accommodate the club's needs.

"Barca have to reduce the wage bill," the former stated. "Next year, there will be no levers and they will have to reduce the salary that may correspond to them.

"They could make more levers, but I don't think [they can or will]. We'll see what arises from the sale of players, but it is very difficult, impossible even, for them to maintain next season.

"There has been no special arrangements. To even be able to register [Jules] Kounde, the president and his treasurer have had to put in a personal guarantee. There has been nothing extraordinary.

Gomez added: "Barca have given up income for the next year and that income diminishes that capacity to retain players. They will not have that next year and they will have to adapt to the situation."

LaLiga president Javier Tebas would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo back in Spain but conceded he was unsure if it was "feasible" for Atletico Madrid to sign the Manchester United star.

Ronaldo is reportedly seeking a move away from United less than a year after returning from Juventus, supposedly because of a lack of Champions League football after the Red Devils' sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season.

The Portugal captain, who scored 24 goals in 38 games in 2021-22, returned to United's training ground on Tuesday having missed the club's pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.

It seems suitors for his services are not as plentiful as anticipated, with Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn appearing to rule out a move, while nothing has yet come of reported interest from United's Premier League rivals Chelsea.

 

Atletico had also been talked of as a potential destination, though club president Enrique Cerezo described it as "practically impossible".

An Atletico fan group called for the club to rule out signing Ronaldo on Wednesday, with Union Internacional de Penas Atletico de Madrid issuing a statement on the matter saying the forward represents "the antithesis" of the team's values.

Tebas would encourage any move to bring the 37-year-old back to Spain, though, telling reporters: "I would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo in LaLiga again.

"Whether it is feasible or not for Atletico Madrid, I do not know. There would have to be some player departures if they wanted to. To sign a player of that level, you must make room."

Ronaldo spent nine years at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018 and became the club's record goalscorer, netting 451 times in 438 games for Los Blancos.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas declared Barcelona are "on the right track" to register their new signings before the season begins – but made it clear they cannot pressure Frenkie de Jong to take a pay cut.

The Catalan club's financial issues have been well documented in recent years, but coach Xavi has still been able to make considerable additions, landing Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski while Jules Kounde looks set to follow from Sevilla.

That activity has raised eyebrows across Europe regarding how Barcelona can afford to land new recruits, with it clear that departures will be on the cards in the latter stages of the transfer window to balance the books.

Tebas admitted that was indeed the case, with Barcelona having a "little work" still to complete, but that the situation does not look to be a cause for concern.

The club have raised funds by selling off chunks of future TV rights income, giving them an immediate financial boost.

"We follow all the movements of Barca very closely, but when the documentation of the levers and reduction of players that they have to do arrives, we will see if they register everyone," Tebas said.

"They know what they have to do. They still have a little work to do to be able to register everything they have signed and intend to sign. I think for now they are on the right track."

Regarding outgoings, Manchester United's pursuit of Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong has been well documented. Despite Barcelona being reportedly open to a sale, the player seems unconvinced.

It has been floated that Barcelona would insist on De Jong taking a pay cut in order to remain at the club, but Tebas has made it clear that would not be allowed.

"LaLiga is going to enforce the legislation. Players cannot be pressured or pushed aside, it is what marks the collective agreement, the law, reason and ethics," Tebas said.

Xavi has already admitted the financial situation may take a decision on De Jong's future out of his hands, despite stating he is important for Barcelona.

"He's a key player, but then there’s the economic situation and financial fair play. I like him a lot as a player," Xavi said after the 1-0 pre-season win against Real Madrid.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas says he hopes Barcelona are able to complete the signing of wantaway Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.

With just one year remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga champions, Lewandowski has repeatedly expressed his desire to join Barca, saying "something has died" within him and insisting his time in Munich is "over".

While Bayern remain steadfast in their desire to keep the striker, who scored 50 goals and added six assists in all competitions last season, Barcelona have made no secret of their interest in the 33-year-old.

Their attempts to sign him, however, appear to be subject to raising funds from player sales and salary cuts, with Tebas saying last month the Blaugrana must part with prized assets to complete the deal, declaring "they know what they have to do: sell assets".

Barca president Joan Laporta reacted angrily to that suggestion, accusing Tebas of wishing to harm the club's interests, but LaLiga's chief now appears more open to the prospect of the Poland international moving to Camp Nou.

Speaking at an event in Madrid, Tebas said: "I hope Lewandowski plays for Barcelona and has a good campaign.

 

"I hope that the [economic] levers Laporta has activated will allow the player to make it to Barcelona, because he is a legend of Bayern Munich and European football.

"If they execute what they approved in the assemblies, he will be able to play for Barcelona.

"There is interest and if they execute those levers then they will be able to sign him."

Among players in the top five European leagues, only Kylian Mbappe (60) and Karim Benzema (59) recorded more direct goal involvements than Lewandowski (56) last term, while no player to score at least 15 goals averaged fewer minutes per strike than the the Pole's 80.1 minutes.

Kylian Mbappe decided to stay at Paris Saint-Germain due to the club's "project" and rejected a more lucrative offer from Real Madrid, according to the Parisians' president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Al-Khelaifi also hit out at suggestions Mbappe possesses undue influence in footballing decisions at the club in an explosive interview with Marca, as well as labelling La Liga "dead" and claiming to never have heard of the league's president Javier Tebas.

Mbappe was widely expected to join Madrid upon the expiry of his contract in Paris this month, but committed his future to PSG until 2025 in a shock decision in May.

That decision sparked fury in Spain, with Madrid president Florentino Perez claiming the striker "must already be sorry" for snubbing the European champions, and LaLiga chief Tebas accusing the French club of trying to "destroy" European football in a complaint to UEFA over supposed financial fair play breaches.

But Al-Khelaifi says Mbappe's choice was never about money, and even claims to have known the 2018 World Cup winner wanted to stay long before the end of last season.

"I have great respect for Real Madrid as a club, they're a great club, but Kylian has never decided to renew for the money, that's the first thing. Madrid's offer was better than ours," he said.

"He is our player and he had other clubs in England as well as Madrid, but he chose PSG, and we didn't talk to him or his family about money until the last moment. 

"Kylian was above all interested in the project, in football and sport. He is Parisian, he is French, and he wanted to stay here to represent his city and his country, his club, and it is not fair what has been said about him."

The PSG chief rejected huge bids for the striker before last season and says he did so in the knowledge he would decide to renew: "I knew 18 months ago that Mbappe wanted to stay. I heard that Madrid said he wanted to play for Madrid, but it wasn't true. 

"We are talking now about Madrid's latest offer, but in the summer [of 2021] they made an offer of €170million and 180million. That means that Madrid's offer, plus his salary, was already better than ours, as it is now. 

"I turned down 180 and they told me I was crazy, people I trusted, because he could leave for free, but I did it because I was sure Kylian was going to stay because I know him and his family well. I know what he wants. 

"Kylian is very serious, professional, and he wants to play and win, he doesn't care about money. I understand that Madrid are disappointed, but it's not fair to say that about Mbappe."

LaLiga have complained about the spending of both Manchester City and PSG to UEFA, claiming a need to keep European competition "clean".

But Al-Khelaifi is not worried about accusations of overspending, as he labelled the Spanish top flight "dead" and said last year's signing of Lionel Messi demonstrated PSG's ability to invest and stay within the rules.

"Who is Tebas? I don't know that person," he claimed. "Our style is not to interfere in the affairs of other clubs, other leagues or federations, it is not our style. But I am not going to accept that others give us lessons. 

"I don't care what he says, the truth is, we have been talking about this for years. We have a football project to build, and we are going to go ahead. We're not worried about everything that comes out in the media, because we can't waste our time with everything that comes out.

"Every year, every summer, it's the same thing. He says we don't respect the fair play, we don't respect the others? We know what we can do, who we can sign, we know better than him what we can do and nobody has to tell us what to do. 

"We don't have to be told by someone from outside what we can or cannot do. If we do it, it's because we can. Look at the case of Messi. It was the same, they said it was financially impossible, and we have made money with Messi. 

"He has no idea and he should focus on his league because La Liga is a bit dead."

Al-Khelaifi, who also serves as chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), could not resist taking another swipe at Madrid over their continued support for the European Super League, which failed spectacularly upon its attempted launch last year.

Madrid, along with Barcelona and Juventus, are still committed to the breakaway project, and Al-Khelaifi says their jubilation at winning the Champions League last month is strange in that context.

"For me it [the Super League] is already dead," he said. "But it's also strange. Madrid have won the Champions League and deservedly so, but on the one hand they want to win it and on the other hand they don't want to play it. 

"If you're not happy you don't need to play it. It's the best competition in the world and I don't even know why the Spanish fans are also against this competition, but for me the Super League is dead."

LaLiga has called for Kylian Mbappe's contract at Paris Saint-Germain to be ripped up, demanding French government officials act and league chiefs take a closer look at the capital club's spending.

France striker Mbappe signed a new three-year deal with PSG in May, turning down Real Madrid who had been courting him for the past year.

The terms of the contract have not been officially disclosed, but Mbappe is widely reported to have received a staggering signing-on fee as well as extraordinary wages. Figures of €100million for signing and €50m per season have been suggested.

Lawyer Juan Branco, representing LaLiga, told a news conference in France on Friday that Spanish league chiefs are ready to go to court to challenge PSG's finances.

Ligue 1 champions PSG have strenuously denied being in breach of financial fair play regulations, but the Spanish authorities have expressed doubts about the legitimacy of their vast recent outlay on players. PSG have been owned by the Doha-based Qatar Sports Investments since 2011.

LaLiga wants the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and the DNCG, the body that oversees football club finances in France, to examine in detail whether the Mbappe deal should have been given the green light.

"We are going to request the repeal of the approval of Mbappe's contract from the minister of sports, because that is the supervisory authority of sports administration," Branco said.

"Subsequently, we will appeal to the LFP so that it acts via its legal commission the DNCG in order to operate a monitoring report on the accounts of PSG. This is a legal step which will allow us to establish whether Mbappe's contract is within the economic parameters which are imposed by the regulations of the DNCG and UEFA financial fair play."

PSG signed Lionel Messi last August after Barcelona ran out of money to hand their captain a new contract, and also acquired former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos at the end of his Santiago Bernabeu stay.

Real Madrid were optimistic about landing Mbappe, but hopes in Spain that he would move to LaLiga were dashed.

Branco said LaLiga was prepared to take action via the administrative court of Paris to seek the quashing of Mbappe's contract.

The lawyer added: "We are going to proceed in the form of a graduated response. We are going to see little by little what is the capacity of the French professional footballing bodies and also regulatory and administrative authorities to react to our appeals and our requests.

"As time goes by, we will increase the pressure."

LaLiga has also complained to UEFA, European football's governing body, about PSG, as well as Manchester City.

Javier Tebas, the Spanish league's president, this week claimed the agreement between PSG and Mbappe was "an insult to football".

Branco said LaLiga would "go upmarket... harden our game" if necessary, saying it considers the French capital giants to be spending on a "fraudulent" scale.

That accusation has been consistently denied by PSG.

Kylian Mbappe could fulfil his "dream" of playing for Real Madrid in the future and chose to remain at Paris Saint-Germain due to "political issues", according to former Los Blancos forward Hugo Sanchez.

Mbappe had been widely expected to join Madrid on a free transfer before the 2018 World Cup winner elected to sign a blockbuster three-year extension to remain with PSG last month.

That decision irked senior figures at Madrid, with president Florentino Perez telling El Chiringuito the striker was "already forgotten" after Carlo Ancelotti's men won a 14th Champions League title last month.

LaLiga have also gotten involved in the saga, with the league's president Javier Tebas lodging a complaint about PSG's spending with UEFA, accusing the Parisians of seeking to "destroy the ecosystem of European football".

But Sanchez, who scored 208 goals in 283 appearances for Madrid between 1985 and 1992, winning five LaLiga titles and finishing as the league's top goalscorer on five occasions, thinks Mbappe could still end up at the Bernabeu in the future.   

"It's very difficult to answer you, because I'm not in his head, in his brain, nor am I him," he told Marca.

"But I sense that he didn't say no to Real Madrid, but he told Real Madrid to 'wait for me a little bit'.

"He has so many pressures, so many external situations, and maybe even family members have pressured him and influenced his decision to [not] choose Real Madrid. It was his wish [to join Madrid], it was his illusion, it was his dream, but that dream, as he said, well, the dream can wait a little while.

"I think he is showing signs that he wants to go to Real Madrid, but now, because of political issues, social issues… economic issues I don't think they are, because he was going to earn a lot of money at Real Madrid, as he is going to earn a lot of money at PSG, so it is not because of money.

"Rather, he has not said no to Real Madrid, rather he said, 'I cannot betray other types of situations that are stronger than money'. You have to understand that."

 

Sanchez was also asked how his own talents compared to those of Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who has been widely tipped to win the Ballon d'Or after recording 59 goal involvements (44 goals, 15 assists) in 46 games last season.

But he refused to engage in such a debate, only saying that true footballing greats would shine in any era and that Brazilian legend Pele was his first idol.

"It is very difficult, these are answers that you must answer first and not me, because I am very respectful in terms of eras and times," he said.

"What I am sure is that players like Pele and [Franz] Beckenbauer, who are older than me, would succeed in today's soccer, and so would all the great players who have been participating in this wonderful sport.

"I feel that because of the physical conditions and the training and preparation that we have today, we can say that people nowadays, like Cristiano Ronaldo or [Lionel] Messi, if they had been born in the time of Pele, Beckenbauer, in our time, would be shining exactly the same way.

"The great talents and the great footballers, the successful people, I believe that they would succeed in any period.

"On my side, my reference was Pele, apart from other Mexican players who were playing professionally when I was a kid."

LaLiga chief Javier Tebas continued his feud with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, explaining the complaint to UEFA over financial fair play was to defend competition.

City were the subject of the first LaLiga complaint back in April, while the league lodged another against PSG on Wednesday regarding breaching financial fair play rulings.

The latter complaint continued Tebas' most recent conflict with the Ligue 1 side, who managed to keep World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe in Paris despite persistent interest from Real Madrid.

Tebas claimed the agreement between PSG and Mbappe was "an insult to football", promising to denounce the French side in court before duly obliging and filing to European football's governing body.

LaLiga cited practices "altering the ecosystem and the sustainability of football" and "only serving to artificially inflate the market with money not generated in football itself".

Tebas, speaking at the Club Consultative Platform (CAP) meeting on Thursday, reiterated his frustrations with PSG and suggested his actions were in the interest of football.

"Do the clubs or the leagues have a responsibility towards our hierarchically superior institutions?" he said. "Am I obliged to report when I consider that there are irregularities?

"I think so, and that is also governance. If we looked the other way in matters of economic control and the cheating that is done, we would breach our governance rules.

"We want the competition to be as clean as possible and these clubs do a lot of damage to economic control."

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was also referenced in the LaLiga complaint, with a conflict of interests cited due to his role as European Club Association chairman and his responsibilities as the organisation's delegate to UEFA's executive committee.

Tebas insists the complaint was not solely in the interests of LaLiga, but also for the benefit of European football.

"[There is] a clear conflict of interest," he added. "He is a buyer of UEFA rights, we have to denounce him.

"We are not doing it to defend the Spanish clubs, who have enough with our most demanding economic control, we are doing it to safeguard the ecosystem of European football, which is in danger."

Madrid president Florentino Perez indicated his hopes for a European Super League are still alive earlier in the week, with the judicial process still ongoing.

Juventus and Barcelona are the other two teams harbouring ambitions of a breakaway league, and Tebas says they are right to do so as UEFA and domestic leagues cannot govern over state-run clubs.

"The three clubs in the Super League are trying to strengthen themselves, rightly so, with this argument, they say that UEFA is not capable of fighting against the state clubs and they accuse them, on occasions, of coexistence," he continued.

"For this reason, these state clubs do a lot of damage to the football ecosystem, because they compete unfairly, with an inflating impact in terms of salaries, and question the credibility of UEFA and the financial control system.

"That is why it is important to denounce it and say it clearly."

Barcelona will not be able to sign wantaway Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski without raising funds via player sales or wage cuts, Blaugrana's economic vice president Eduard Romeu admitted.

Romeu also hinted star talents such as Frenkie de Jong could be allowed to leave if their departures would allow Barca to strengthen Xavi's squad.

Barca have been strongly linked with a move for Lewandowski amid a contract dispute with the Bundesliga champions, declaring on Monday: "My story at Bayern is over".

But Barca's attempts to sign the Poland international, who scored 50 goals in 46 appearances for Bayern in the 2021-22 season, were left in doubt earlier this week when LaLiga president Javier Tebas said the Blaugrana must sell star players to fund such a move.

Tebas said on Tuesday: "They know what they have to do, sell assets. Barca have had many accumulated losses in recent years, some that could have been avoided."

Blaugrana president Joan Laporta responded by hitting out at Tebas for "wanting to harm Barca's interests" in a message shared by the club's social media accounts.

Romeu, though, acknowledges the need to raise funds to fund the high-profile signing, almost a year on from Barca losing club legend Lionel Messi after struggling to meet LaLiga's salary limits.

"Currently the norm is one to three for financial fair play," he told radio station RAC1. "If we are able to get three times more than the cost of the transfer plus amortisation, he can be signed, but first we have to do the job of closing levers.

"If we don't do it, as we are at the moment, by regulation it is not possible to sign him."

 

Romeu then revealed Barca are to begin talks with players over salary cuts, as they look to trim a bloated wage bill to make room for new arrivals. 

"We have a wage bill of €560million, compared to Bayern it is double, they have €300million and [Real] Madrid €400million," he continued.

"Negotiations with the squad will be individual. With the veterans, it will depend on the technical interests and where there is more interest for the club. The most expensive contracts have to be negotiated beforehand."

Barcelona's continued need to balance the books has led to rumours De Jong could be sold, with the Dutch international linked with a reunion with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, and Romeu did not rule out a sale of the talented midfielder.

"It is the players' own decision, the players have some agreements that someone has signed for them," he added.

"They haven't committed any sin, we can't afford certain situations, but we have to make an assessment, they haven't cheated anyone and Barca has respected their agreements, another thing is that we have to negotiate with them.

"Right now, we don't have a budget for the sale of players. What is being talked about is a technical issue. About Frenkie de Jong, one thing is that you get money, and another that you [can] use [it] for other payments."

Romeu also followed Laporta's lead in hitting out at Tebas, insisting he was partially responsible for the financial crisis that engulfed Barcelona during Josep Maria Bartomeu's tenure as president due to his leniency with the previous Blaugrana regime.

"The situation Barca has is its own fault, but this man [Tebas] is co-responsible for Barca's situation," Romeu claimed.

"He has looked the other way and has allowed the current situation. He said amen to everything, against the interests of Barca."

Joan Laporta has hit back at Javier Tebas' suggestion Barcelona cannot afford to sign Robert Lewandowski as he claimed the LaLiga chief wants to hurt the Blaugrana's interests.

Barca appear the favourites to sign Bayern Munich talisman Lewandowski after he declared his "story was over" with the Bundesliga giants.

Poland star Lewandowksi has made clear his preference to join Barca, but Tebas suggested the Blaugrana must sell one of their prized assets to be able to fund the transfer.

"Barca already know what they have to do if they want to sign Lewandowski," Tebas told Europa Press Sports Breakfasts.

"They know our economic control rules perfectly. It's to avoid major economic problems. I don't know if they will sell [Frenkie] de Jong or Pedri.

"They know what they have to do, sell assets. Barca has had many accumulated losses in the last tax years, some of which could have been avoided and they have to stock the pantry. 

"Just as Madrid have stocked up, Barcelona have emptied it. Today they cannot sign him [Lewandowski]."

But Barca president Laporta has not taken kindly to Tebas' advice, asking the LaLiga boss to stay out of matters that do not involve him.

"Regarding the statements by the president of the league saying that we cannot sign a player, I would like to remind him that his job is to watch over the interests of the league and the clubs," Laporta said in a message posted on Barca's Twitter.

"So with all due respect I ask that he abstains from commenting on whether or not we can sign a certain player, because he is obviously harming the interests of FC Barcelona.

"I don't know if he makes these comments voluntarily or involuntarily. If he does so voluntarily, it is very obvious that he is wanting to harm Barca's interests.

"And if he does it involuntarily, it is further proof of his verbal incontinence and the desire that the president of the league wants to take the limelight, and with all due respect, that is not his place."

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