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Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) has referred LaLiga president Javier Tebas to the country’s Sports Administrative Court (TAD) over his controversial comparison of Real Madrid’s communication strategy with propaganda methods used by Nazi Germany’s former propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels.
The CSD announced on Thursday that it had submitted a reasoned request asking the independent tribunal to assess whether Tebas’s remarks could constitute a breach of Spanish sports regulations governing conduct that undermines sporting dignity and decorum.
The move follows a social media post published by Tebas on October 16, in which he criticised Real Madrid’s management and its official television channel, Real Madrid TV, accusing them of promoting a narrative that portrays the club as a victim of unfair treatment. Blueprint reports
The controversy has escalated tensions between the LaLiga chief and Real Madrid, which demanded his immediate resignation from both his position as president of the Spanish top-flight league and his role as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
The CSD said its intervention was initiated independently and within the exercise of its statutory powers, stressing that the TAD would determine whether the statements contained indications of a possible disciplinary offence.
CSD cites Spanish sports law
In its statement, the CSD referred to Article 76.4.b of Spain’s Sports Law 10/1990, which classifies “notorious and public acts that undermine sporting dignity or decorum” as serious offences.
The council asked the TAD to examine Tebas’s remarks in light of the provision and relevant legal principles governing conduct by prominent figures in Spanish sport.
According to the CSD, the tribunal’s legal doctrine, drawing on Spanish Supreme Court jurisprudence, links sporting dignity and decorum to the maintenance of a framework of civilised coexistence within sport.
The council said such an environment depended on mutual respect among people occupying prominent positions in the sporting sector.
“The CSD considers it essential for sports institutions to preserve the values that make sport a space for respect, coexistence, and fair play,” the statement said.
The referral does not amount to a finding that Tebas has committed an offence. Rather, it requests an independent assessment of whether his comments warrant disciplinary proceedings under the relevant provisions of Spanish sports law.
Any determination on the matter rests with the TAD.
What Tebas said about Real Madrid
Tebas’s comments were directed at the communication strategy of Real Madrid’s management and its official television channel, which has frequently criticised refereeing decisions and other developments affecting the club.
In his October 16 post on X, the LaLiga president accused the club’s leadership of repeatedly presenting selected incidents in ways that fuel grievances and suspicion.
“Real Madrid’s management directs an orchestra of mouthpieces and Real Madrid TV leads the singing,” he wrote, arguing that the club’s communication approach repeatedly selected incidents that supported its position while pointing to perceived enemies.
He said the method reminded him of propaganda techniques associated with Goebbels, who served as propaganda minister under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany.
Tebas identified what he described as “systematic repetition, construction of an enemy, and subordination of facts to the narrative” as the features behind his comparison.
He also argued that Real Madrid’s complaints about refereeing and other decisions were often presented without sufficient context, creating an impression that the club was consistently being treated unfairly.
The league president extended his criticism to disputes over match scheduling, challenging the club to make public the number of requests it had submitted for changes to match dates and kick-off times, as well as how many of those requests had been accepted.
Tebas maintained that disagreements over scheduling should be assessed using the full record of requests and decisions rather than being treated individually as evidence of alleged bias.
Real Madrid demands Tebas’s resignation
Real Madrid reacted strongly to the remarks, describing the comparison with Nazi propaganda as deeply offensive and demanding Tebas’s immediate resignation.
The club argued that a person holding senior positions in Spanish football should not compare its management and official television channel with propaganda methods associated with the Nazi regime.
Real Madrid also rejected Tebas’s explanation that his comments concerned communication techniques rather than Nazi ideology.
The club maintained that the distinction did not lessen the seriousness of the comparison or its institutional implications.
The dispute has further intensified an already strained relationship between the league leadership and the Spanish champions, particularly over refereeing controversies, public criticism and the way incidents involving the club are discussed.
The latest development has now brought the disagreement before a sports tribunal, shifting part of the controversy from public statements and demands for resignation to a formal assessment of whether disciplinary rules may have been breached.
Tebas says comparison was about techniques, not ideology
Following the backlash, Tebas defended his position, insisting that he was referring to propaganda techniques rather than associating Real Madrid, its supporters or its leadership with Nazi ideology.
He argued that the methods he identified, including repetition, selective presentation of information and the construction of an opposing enemy, could be examined independently of the ideology of those who historically employed them.
In subsequent comments, Tebas maintained that propaganda techniques are studied in journalism and communication courses to understand how messages influence public opinion.
He also defended his broader criticism of Real Madrid’s communication strategy and challenged the club to address the specific examples he had raised.
His clarification, however, did not satisfy Real Madrid, which continued to demand his departure from the leadership of LaLiga and the RFEF.
The CSD’s referral now places the focus on whether the remarks crossed a line established by Spain’s sports regulations, rather than solely on the disagreement between Tebas and the club.
A test of conduct and accountability in Spanish football
The case raises broader questions about the responsibilities of senior sports administrators when engaging in public disputes with clubs and other stakeholders.
Football officials regularly face criticism over refereeing, scheduling, disciplinary decisions and the administration of competitions. However, the CSD’s statement underscores its position that public exchanges involving prominent figures must also respect the principles of sporting dignity, mutual respect and fair play.
The council’s reference to civilised coexistence suggests that its concern extends beyond the disagreement itself to the standards of conduct expected within Spanish sport.
The TAD will have to consider the wording and context of Tebas’s statements alongside the applicable legal provisions before determining whether any disciplinary action is justified.
Until the tribunal reaches a decision, the referral should not be interpreted as confirmation that the LaLiga president has violated the law.
For Real Madrid, the controversy represents another confrontation with the leadership of Spanish football. For Tebas, it places his public criticism of the club under formal scrutiny.
The outcome could have implications for how disputes between football administrators and clubs are handled, particularly where public criticism invokes historically sensitive comparisons.
For now, the CSD has made clear that respect, coexistence and fair play remain central values it expects sporting institutions and their leaders to uphold as the matter proceeds through the established disciplinary process.
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