Real Madrid News
Javier Tebas used funds from La Liga clubs to launch an attack against Real Madrid – report
Spanish media publication El Espanol has come up with a hard-hitting piece, which sheds light on Javier Tebas’ alleged use of La Liga funds to commission a report from members of the Transparency International, a well-known anti-corruption NGO.
The firm had released a report on Real Madrid’s opposition to La Liga’s broadcasting rights deal with CVC, offering to take La Liga’s side and criticising Real Madrid, instead of offering impartial analysis.
Collaborating with lawyers from A25, which are also collaborators of Transparency International, El Espanol claims Tebas used the money received from La Liga clubs to launch scathing attacks on Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants were one of the clubs to oppose the CVC deal, labelling it as illegal and one that damaged the fabric of Spanish football.
Real Madrid’s decision had not gone down well with La Liga, who wanted to close the deal. And the league’s president, Tebas, in particular, was quite vocal about Los Blancos, criticising the club at every turn.
Now, with El Espanol putting out a report on the alleged siphoning of funds to launch a well-motivated campaign to not only criticise Real Madrid but also to defame the club, it appears as if Tebas has become a problem for Spanish football.
The La Liga supremo Tebas had previously threatened to withhold a portion of Real Madrid’s television rights revenue due to their refusal to accept the CVC agreement, which further intensified the tensions between the club and LaLiga.
Real Madrid’s support for the European Super League did not go well with the Spaniard either, who continues to publicly defame the club, in an attempt to justify his positions. It will be interesting to see how he responds to this revealing report from El Espanol.
Bernardo Silva was one of Real Madrid’s headline signings last summer. The Portuguese midfielder arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City and appeared destined to become the creative successor to Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the middle of the park.
Indeed, with the club having not signed a new central midfielder, many within Real Madrid saw the veteran star as a solution to the issue.
Manager Jose Mourinho made him a starter from the very beginning in pre-season, but not in his usual role on the right. Instead, he deployed his compatriot as a deep-lying playmaker in the midfield double pivot.
A change in circumstances
Silva failed to have the expected influence when operating in a deeper role in midfield in the chances he got.
Combined with the emergence of Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni’s return to fitness, the Portuguese international has now lost his place in the starting line-up and dropped to the bench.
Bernardo’s situation became particularly striking against Villarreal this past Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu, when he did not play a single minute.
Limited opportunities under Mourinho
Bernardo has played six matches for Real Madrid, starting three and coming on as a substitute in another three.
He did not feature against Villarreal or Elche, while his only appearance in the last three matches was a little over 10 minutes against Atletico Madrid. He was not used regularly by the Portugal national team during the international break either.
Across Real Madrid’s eight La Liga fixtures, Silva has accumulated just 282 minutes of playing time.
The Champions League now presents another opportunity for the former Manchester City captain, who has yet to make his European debut for Real Madrid this season.
He missed the match against Inter Milan because he was still serving a suspension carried over from his time at the Etihad Stadium last season.
It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will give him an opportunity against AS Roma in the coming week.
For now, the midfielder’s reduced playing time suggests that the Portuguese coach has lost some of his faith in a player who arrived with high expectations after leaving Manchester City.
