La Liga teams Seville, Valencia and Villarreal have demanded an apology from the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after he said they were the three teams he most disliked.
El Confidencial released a series of messages on Tuesday allegedly sent by Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales in a conversation with his father in which he expressed his disdain for the three clubs.
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“Let’s see if we can clear the floor with them, they are the teams that I like at least except for one of them,” he wrote of Sevilla during a match that ended in Sevilla’s 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in 2020.
In response to his father who said he did not like Seville and Valencia, Rubiales added: “For me, in that order, Villarreal, Seville and Valencia.”
Sevilla’s defeat to Madrid in that match included a disallowed goal by Luc de Jong, prompting Rubiales to add: “They will be on my back about VAR.”
The three clubs described Rubiales’ comments as “disrespectful, unacceptable and arrogant” and suggested they distorted the transparency of the competition.
“Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal wish to express our joint condemnation of the president’s contempt for our clubs,” the joint statement read.
“A conversation in which he speaks with such insult, hostility and arrogance towards the three clubs is unacceptable for a person who holds a position of this responsibility and must take care of the interests of all Spanish football clubs equally.
“Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal condemn Rubiales’ disregard and disrespect for our organizations and, most importantly, towards the feelings of the fans. Likewise, we express our concern about the possible consequences that his attitude towards our clubs might have, given his behavior. It does not contribute to the transparency of the competition.”
“Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal urge Rubiales to rectify the situation and publicly apologize to the three clubs and our fans.”
El Confidencial released a series of private messages obtained from Rubiales’ phone throughout the year, including talks with Barcelona defender Gerard Pique about the Spanish Super Cup move to Saudi Arabia.
The RFEF reported the theft to the police, while Rubiales said he believed the “mafia” was behind the act in an attempt to discredit him.
Rubiales has been the president of the RFEF since 2018.
