Real Madrid demand La Liga president Tebas resign over Goebbels comparison

Real Madrid have demanded the immediate resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas. The demand follows a social media post in which Tebas compared the club's communication methods to propaganda techniques associated with Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany's minister of propaganda.

Tebas published the post on Friday. BBC Sport reported that it appeared on X. In it, he criticised Real Madrid's management and its in-house channel, Real Madrid TV.

His criticism concerned how the club and its channel present refereeing decisions in their matches. BBC Sport quoted him as writing: "Real Madrid's management directs an orchestra of mouthpieces and Real Madrid TV leads the singing." He added: "Their score is always the same: select the plays that suit them, repeat the grievance, feed the suspicion, and point fingers at the enemies."

According to BBC Sport, he went on: "That method recalls propaganda mechanisms exploited by Goebbels, Nazi Germany's minister of propaganda: systematic repetition, construction of an enemy, and subordination of facts to the narrative." Al Jazeera's translation uses "used by" instead of "exploited by".

Tebas said his comparison referred to propaganda techniques, not to an ideology. Al Jazeera quoted him as saying: "The comparison is with those propaganda techniques, not with an ideology or, of course, with the Madridista fanbase." According to BBC Sport, Tebas made this clarification later, after the original post.

According to Al Jazeera, Tebas was responding to articles by two journalists in the newspaper El Debate. Those articles said that he and La Liga were acting against Real Madrid's interests.

Real Madrid issued a statement on Friday. It demanded that Tebas resign as La Liga president and as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). BBC Sport quoted the statement as saying the club considers it "absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious" that Tebas used the comparison "to discredit our club, its management and its television".

According to BBC Sport, the club also rejected Tebas's clarification. It said the clarification did not mitigate the "institutionally unworthy nature of his statements".

The episode is part of a longer dispute. Last month, Tebas criticised the club over its complaints about refereeing. According to Al Jazeera, he called those complaints "a smokescreen" for the team's shortcomings on the pitch. Real Madrid then called for a new La Liga president.

Tebas, 64, has led La Liga since 2013, according to Al Jazeera. He was re-elected unopposed in 2023 for a term running until 2027. Al Jazeera also reported that, hours before Real Madrid's statement, La Liga confirmed the club is one of the six clubs that will sit on the league's Executive Committee this season.

What each side says

• Javier Tebas: Real Madrid's management directs a media network that selectively presents refereeing incidents to build grievance and suspicion. He says the comparison concerns techniques, not ideology or fans. According to Al Jazeera, he also says the El Debate journalists were amplifying a message on behalf of the club's management.
• Real Madrid: Al Jazeera quoted the club as saying that "Tebas' repeated conduct demonstrates a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities." The club says he attributes to it "actions of third parties for which we bear no responsibility."

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any response from Tebas, La Liga or the RFEF to the resignation demand.

Analysis

Al Jazeera described the resignation demand as deepening a feud between Real Madrid and La Liga's chief. Tebas is elected by the 42 professional clubs, according to Al Jazeera. A resignation demand from one club does not by itself remove him. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe any formal process for removal, or whether Real Madrid intends to pursue one. One possible scenario is continued public confrontation. Another is mediation through league bodies, where Real Madrid is set to sit on the Executive Committee. Reactions from other clubs, the RFEF or Spanish sports authorities could shape which path follows.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.