Spread the word
Real Madrid have demanded the immediate resignation of La Liga president, Javier Tebas, over comments in which he compared the club’s communication strategy to propaganda techniques used during Nazi Germany.
The Spanish giants made the demand in an official statement published on their X account on Friday, describing Tebas’s remarks as “absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious”.
Tebas, who also serves as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, had accused Real Madrid’s management of coordinating public statements and using the club’s television channel to repeatedly promote its grievances.
In his comments on social media, the La Liga president said the club’s approach involved selecting favourable incidents, repeating complaints, fuelling suspicion and identifying enemies.
He compared the alleged methods to techniques used by Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Germany minister of propaganda, including systematic repetition, the construction of an enemy and the subordination of facts to a particular narrative.
Tebas, however, clarified that his comparison was limited to propaganda techniques and was not intended to refer to Nazi ideology or Real Madrid supporters.
Real Madrid rejected the explanation, insisting that it did not diminish the seriousness of his remarks.
“The clarification that he is not referring to Nazi ideology does not mitigate the deeply offensive, morally repugnant, and institutionally unworthy nature of his statements,” the club said.
Real Madrid links dispute to Negreira case
The club described Tebas’s comments as another episode in what it called repeated attacks against Real Madrid, its president and its media outlets.
Real Madrid also linked the dispute to the long-running Negreira case involving payments made by Barcelona to the former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
The payments, made over several years, have been at the centre of investigations and allegations concerning potential conflicts of interest in Spanish football.
Real Madrid said it had approached UEFA directly to request a comprehensive investigation and clarification of the payments.
“It is especially concerning that Tebas uses these statements to question the legitimate actions of Real Madrid and Real Madrid TV in relation to the Negreira case,” the club said.
The statement added that the club had been compelled to seek UEFA’s intervention because of what it described as the lack of an adequate response from the two institutions in which Tebas holds senior positions.
Real Madrid has consistently called for the circumstances surrounding the payments to be fully clarified, while the Negreira case has remained a major source of controversy in Spanish football.
Club calls for overhaul of refereeing system
Beyond demanding Tebas’s resignation, Real Madrid called for a comprehensive overhaul of Spain’s refereeing system and relevant football federation structures.
The club argued that the La Liga president’s comments raised questions about his ability to remain neutral and impartial while occupying influential positions in Spanish football.
According to Real Madrid, Tebas’s conduct demonstrated “a lack of neutrality, respect, and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities”.
The club added that his remarks disqualified him from continuing in his current positions.
“Consequently, Real Madrid demands his immediate resignation as president of LaLiga and vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation,” the statement concluded.
As of Friday, the statement did not indicate whether Tebas intended to resign in response to the demand.
The dispute adds to the continuing tensions between Real Madrid and La Liga’s leadership, with disagreements over the club’s public criticism of refereeing decisions and its calls for greater transparency in Spanish football.
Spread the word