‘I’ll put my problems aside’ – Javier Tebas preparing to join forces with former foe Nasser Al-Khelaifi

Javier Tebas and Nasser Al-Khelaifi aren’t exactly the best of friends. The pair have been involved in a very public and bitter dispute, which even saw them face off against each other in court. However, the La Liga President and the Paris Saint-Germain president have a common enemy – the SuperLeague.

Despite themselves leading their own – ultimately failed version of the SuperLeague – PSG, alongside UEFA, have been the most vehemently opposed to the prospective SuperLeague plans. As president of La Liga, Tebas is also naturally opposed to plans, thus making Al-Khelaifi a convenient ally. 

“I prefer to unite our strength against the SuperLeague and I’ll put aside my problems with Al-Khelaifi a bit. All of my efforts are focused against the SuperLeague, but I continue to have the same vision. National leagues are in big danger if we don’t change the model of governance in European football,” he told L’Équipe. 

However, despite sharing a common objective with  Al-Khelaifi, Tebas says that he still isn’t friends with the PSG president. “No [I’m not his new best friend]. You need to know when to fight each battle. I’ll put my problems with Al-Khelaifi on standby. What Florentino Perez (Real Madrid President) wants is for me to have confrontations with two people: Al-Khelaifi and Aleksander Ceferin. I won’t do it, but that doesn’t mean that I agree with everything they do,” said the La Liga president. Tebas has also softened his stance against PSG, whom he has previously accused of cheating, stating that the reigning Ligue 1 champions have “evolved”. 

“These past months, I have seen that PSG has evolved in a more acceptable way. It isn’t me who is evolving, it is PSG. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll go on holiday with Al-Khelaifi