Real Madrid have demanded Javier Tebas resign as LaLiga president and vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation after he compared methods associated with Real Madrid TV to propaganda techniques used by Nazi Germany’s Joseph Goebbels. The club issued its formal response on Friday, October 16, rejecting Tebas’s remarks as unacceptable and arguing that his clarification that he was not referring to Nazi ideology did not lessen their seriousness.
Real Madrid reject Tebas’s comparison
In its statement, Real Madrid described the comparison as deeply offensive and said it was extraordinary for a person holding two senior positions in Spanish football to invoke Nazi propaganda methods to discredit the club, its management and its television channel. It also characterized the episode as another in a series of attacks by Tebas against the club, its president and its media outlets.
The club objected to Tebas attributing to Real Madrid actions by third parties for which it said it had no responsibility. Its response addressed not only the language of his comments but also what it presented as a wider dispute over the club’s public position on refereeing and football governance.
Negreira case features in governance dispute
Real Madrid linked Tebas’s remarks to his criticism of the club and Real Madrid TV over their actions concerning the Negreira case. The club said it had approached UEFA seeking full clarification of payments made over the years by FC Barcelona to the vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees, as well as measures to protect the integrity of competitions.
It also called for a comprehensive overhaul of the refereeing system and of the structures responsible for governance, management, supervision and discipline in Spanish football. That should include replacing people who held positions of responsibility during the period in question, the club said. Madrid’s earlier call for Tebas’s removal had also placed his role in the governance dispute under scrutiny.
Club says Tebas should leave both roles
Real Madrid argued that Tebas’s repeated conduct showed a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities. It said his attacks on the club and on those demanding transparency and regeneration disqualified him from continuing in either of his posts.
The demand covers both his LaLiga presidency and his vice-presidency at the RFEF. Real Madrid said it would continue defending its institutional standing, seeking clarification of the payments at the centre of the Negreira issue and pressing for changes to Spanish football’s structures.