Real Madrid has officially called for the immediate resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas, escalating a long-standing conflict between the club and the league’s leadership. The demand follows controversial comments made by Tebas on social media, where he drew parallels between the club’s management and the propaganda techniques employed by Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany. Tebas added that the authors in El Debate newspaper were amplifying a message on behalf of Real’s management.
Tebas’ remarks came during a critique of Real Madrid TV’s coverage of refereeing decisions. He accused the club’s management of conducting an “orchestra of mouthpieces” that feeds suspicion and targets perceived enemies. According to Tebas, this behavior mirrors the propaganda mechanisms of the Third Reich, though he explicitly clarified that his comparison focused solely on communication tactics rather than ideology or the club’s fanbase. “Their score is always the same: select the plays that suit them, repeat the grievance, feed the suspicion and point fingers at the enemies,” he wrote.
In a formal statement released on Friday, Real Madrid condemned the comparison as “intolerable and extraordinarily serious.” The club argued that using such inflammatory language to discredit the organization, its leadership, and its official television station is a direct violation of professional standards. Furthermore, the statement claimed that Tebas’ recurring conduct highlights a “lack of neutrality, respect, and impartiality” that renders him unfit for his institutional responsibilities.
The club also challenged Tebas for attributing the views of independent journalists to the team itself, calling it unacceptable to hold the club accountable for third-party opinions. Real Madrid is now seeking his departure from both his role as La Liga president and his position as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The LaLiga president was responding to articles by two journalists saying he and LaLiga were acting against Real’s interests. “It is unacceptable that he even takes advantage of questions, information or opinions from journalists unrelated to the club to direct his accusations at us, attributing to us actions of third parties for which we bear no responsibility.”.
This is the second time in recent weeks that the club has requested a leadership change. Last month, tensions flared after Tebas described the club’s complaints regarding officiating as a “smokescreen” intended to hide their own performance issues on the pitch.
Javier Tebas, 64, has led the organization since 2013. He was re-elected unopposed in 2023 to serve a term that runs until 2027, maintaining the support of the 42 professional clubs in Spain’s top two tiers. The latest fallout occurred on the same day La Liga confirmed Real Madrid would serve as one of the six clubs on the league’s Executive Committee for the current season.
