LaLiga president Tebas dragged to court over alleged crimes against Barcelona

LaLiga president Javier Tebas is facing one of the most serious legal challenges of his tenure after Spain’s Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) opened a case against him for allegedly breaching confidentiality over Barcelona’s financial information.

The proceedings follow a complaint filed by Miguel Ángel Galán, who argues that Tebas’ actions caused economic and reputational harm to the Catalan club.

The controversy began after Galán, president of CENAFE, accused Tebas of violating Spain’s sports laws by publicly revealing sensitive financial details about FC Barcelona.

Announcing the development on X, Galán wrote, “The news that all of Spanish football was waiting for has broken… TAD has initiated proceedings against the president of LaLiga following my complaint for breach of the duty of confidentiality in revealing the financial statements of FC Barcelona.”

The complaint outlines five alleged offences. The first concerns LaLiga’s announcement rejecting Barcelona’s €100 million VIP box financing plan, using information taken from the club’s audit report. The second relates to LaLiga publishing confidential financial data on its website after Barcelona complained.

The third offence involves Tebas’ meeting with Athletic Club, during which he reportedly discussed Barcelona’s finances in relation to Nico Williams’ release clause.

The fourth stems from Tebas’ public claims that Barcelona failed to meet the league’s 1:1 Fair Play ratio. The final allegation concerns confidential documents Tebas sent to Spain’s Higher Sports Council about the Dani Olmo case.

According to Galán, these breaches are severe enough to warrant the strongest penalty available. He stated, “Javier Tebas will be disqualified by the TAD, relying on the disqualification resolution I obtained from Ángel María Villar… who breached the duty of neutrality.”

His formal appeal to the CSD requested Tebas’ removal from office for committing “very serious offences” under Article 76 of Spain’s Sports Law.

For now, LaLiga say they have received no official notification of the proceedings, but the case is moving forward. Tebas could face a range of sanctions depending on the outcome, from a warning, to temporary disqualification for up to a year, or, in the most serious scenario, removal from his position as president.

With the case now in motion, Spanish football waits to see whether this marks a turning point in LaLiga governance, or simply the beginning of an even bigger conflict between the league and Barcelona.