Javier Tebas, the president of the Spanish League, expressed his strong disapproval of the events that accompanied the last El Clásico match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, which was held at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and witnessed clashes between players after the end of the match.
During his participation in an event to launch La Liga’s plan to combat bullying in schools, Tebas said: “The images we saw in the last El Clásico are not good, and do not provide an example to follow.”
He added: “We must understand that the players are in a state of high tension inside the stadium, with a heart rate that we do not realize from the outside, but despite that, I hope that such scenes will not be repeated.”
The president of La Liga confirmed that these events remain an exception in Spanish football, noting that “in the vast majority of league matches, such clashes do not occur, and this is what we must focus on.”
The match witnessed utter chaos in the final minutes, as the referee sent off Andriy Lunin, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, against the background of an altercation with Barcelona players, and six yellow cards were shown as a result of the clashes that took place between the benches.
From Real Madrid’s side, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, and Éder Militão received warnings, while Fermín López, Alejandro Balde, and Ferran Torres received warnings from Barcelona’s ranks.
Tebas concluded his speech by confirming that La Liga is doing its utmost to maintain “La Liga’s image as a clean and respectful competition,” stressing the need for excitement not to turn into behaviors that distort the image of Spanish football.
The final minutes of the El Clásico match between Real Madrid and Barcelona witnessed tense atmospheres inside the stadium and on the benches, and the atmosphere ignited in stoppage time.
The clashes began after a strong tackle that led to Pedri’s expulsion, who received a second yellow card and left the field in the tenth minute of the second half’s stoppage time.
The events did not stop there, as altercations broke out between members of the technical staff and players of the two teams near the technical area, leading to chaos on the sidelines before the refereeing staff intervened to calm the situation.
After the final whistle, the tension was renewed due to a verbal altercation between Thibaut Courtois and Lamine Yamal, and the players intervened to turn the situation into a clash between several elements, including Antonio Rüdiger and Raphinha, who were present in the vicinity of the events despite not participating in the list.
These scenes reflect the extent of the tension and excitement that prevailed until the last moments of El Clásico, in a match characterized by competitiveness, physical conflict, and intense psychological pressure.
Vinícius Crisis
A new crisis erupted inside Real Madrid during El Clásico, after Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior showed his extreme anger at his coach, Xabi Alonso, after being substituted in the 70th minute of the match. The team’s winger did not hide his dissatisfaction and protested the decision with gestures and words before leaving the field directly to the locker rooms without sitting on the bench, then returned to it after a few minutes.
When Vinícius saw his number on the fourth official’s board, signs of shock and bewilderment appeared on his face, and he uttered clear protest phrases as he left the field angrily, without exchanging greetings with his coach.
Alonso completely ignored the situation and focused his gaze on the field, while a number of Vinícius’ teammates intervened to calm him down.
The Brazilian player did not sit on the bench at first, and left directly to the locker rooms, before returning later after a few minutes with a sullen face and angry features.
As he left, Vinícius lost his temper and screamed angrily, repeating an obscene phrase that carried a direct insult to Alonso, and reflected the extent of his anger and frustration.
This was not the first time that Vinícius Júnior has shown his anger at his coach’s decisions.
In additional footage broadcast by DAZN, Vinícius was seen shouting: “It’s always me! I’m leaving the team, it’s better for me to leave.”
While scenes were captured of coach Alonso responding to him with a serious face, saying: “Come on, Vini, damn it!” in a clear indication of his anger at the Brazilian player’s behavior.
Xabi Alonso’s Calm
Xabi Alonso, the coach of Real Madrid, spoke confidently and calmly to the media after achieving his first victory as a coach in El Clásico with a score of (2-1), and analyzed the reasons for the victory and affirmed its importance from a mental and future perspective.
Alonso said at the beginning of his speech: “I am very happy for the players, they needed to know that they have the ability to win a match of this kind, it was a deserved victory, even less than the course of the match, and this is important for the future.”
Regarding his personal feeling after the victory, the Real Madrid coach affirmed that he does not consider it a release from pressure or a specific burden, explaining: “Nothing has been released for me, we still have a lot ahead of us, we must remain calm.”
The press conference was not without questions raised about Vinícius Júnior’s anger after his substitution, but Alonso dealt with the matter calmly.
The coach said: “I came out of the match with a lot of positives, including Vini’s performance, we will definitely talk about it, but I don’t want to lose focus on the important points, there are players who have different personalities, and we will clarify things within the group.”
Despite the repeated questions about the Brazilian star, Alonso preferred not to expand on the controversy, stressing that tension is a natural part of El Clásico matches.
He pointed out: “This is normal, a lot happens in every Clásico and it will continue to happen, tension is always present, as long as things remain within the framework of healthy competition, there is nothing to worry about.”
