Real Madrid's home stadium, Santiago Bernabeu, recently hosted an NFL match between the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders. Almost everyone was mesmerized by the environment at the stadium as the Dolphins beat the Commaders with a score of 16-13 in overtime to mark Spain's historic NFL debut on Sunday. Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas has taken a jab at the 15-time Champions League winners.
The National Football League is growing all over the world, having games in England, Ireland, Germany, Mexico, and other countries. The league is trying to increase its popularity outside America. Meanwhile, it was something that Javier had been looking to do with Spanish football when he wanted to let a game between Villarreal and Barcelona happen in Miami in December. This attempt failed, and he believed Real Madrid was the reason behind the blockage.
La Liga president takes shots at Real Madrid over Dolphins vs Commanders NFL game in Bernabeu
Tebas took over this opportunity to criticize Los Blancos through his official social media account amid his long-time rivalry with Florentino Perez. The 63-year-old brought back the club’s opposition to holding the Villarreal-Barcelona LaLiga fixture in the United States. Tebas wrote:
"We’ve spent weeks hearing that today is “a historic day for Spanish sport” because the NFL is playing in Madrid. Front pages, special features, red carpet… splendid promotion for the NFL in Spain, with a Spanish stadium as the showcase."
Tebas, who was reelected for the fourth term in 2023 until 2027, further wrote:
And the most striking thing: the stadium belongs to the very same club that led the crusade over “integrity” against LaLiga’s official match in Miami… and that now happily lends it out in exchange for payment, of course.”
The La Liga president also wrote that he will not stop taking the league out of Spain despite the setback. He also wrote that the failure was not due to “integrity, nor tradition, nor information,” but “who was behind it.”
Meanwhile, following the loss, the Commanders will look to improve their struggling record as they move forward. The Dolphins are 4-7 while the Commanders are 3-8 as they stand 3rd in the NFC East.