Real Madrid demand Javier Tebas resign after La Liga president compares club to Nazi propaganda

Real Madrid have again called for the resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas after he compared the way the club tries to discredit referees with the propaganda techniques of Nazi Germany. The reaction follows a lengthy social media post in which Tebas attacked Madrid's official television channel for broadcasting videos of refereeing errors that the club says hurt its chances of winning. The dispute between Tebas and the Madrid board, led by Florentino Pérez, adds another chapter to a long history of clashes.

• Real Madrid are demanding Tebas resign immediately and accuse him of lacking neutrality and respect.
• Tebas compared the strategy of Madrid's TV channel with the propaganda techniques of Joseph Goebbels.
• The La Liga chief clarified that the comparison was about techniques, not ideology or Madrid supporters.
• The club repeated its complaint over Tebas's handling of the Barcelona referee payments case.

What Javier Tebas said about Real Madrid and Goebbels propaganda

Tebas's message focused on the work of Real Madrid TV, a channel that regularly publishes compilations of controversial decisions involving referees who are due to take charge of upcoming matches for the 15-time European champions. For the La Liga president, the practice follows a repeated script: selecting plays that favour the club, repeating the alleged insult, raising suspicion and naming enemies. Tebas wrote that Madrid's leadership has a chorus of mouthpieces and that the club is leading the way.

Its script is always the same: select plays that favour it, repeat the alleged affront, increase suspicion and name enemies. It reminds one of the propaganda techniques that Goebbels used.

After the controversy, Tebas added a clarification to soften his words: the comparison was about techniques, not ideology and certainly not about Real Madrid fans. Even so, the damage was already done and the club's response was swift.

Real Madrid response: immediate resignation and accusation of bias

Real Madrid issued a statement describing Tebas as unfit to represent Spain's top clubs and demanding his immediate resignation. The club said his repeated behaviour shows a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality that is incompatible with his institutional responsibilities. It added that his constant attacks on Madrid and on those asking for transparency and regeneration represent a real scourge for Spanish football.

The Negreira case remains the backdrop to the Real Madrid and Tebas feud

Friday's statement also repeated a complaint Madrid have raised over recent months: Tebas's handling of the judicial investigation into Barcelona's payments to an official on the refereeing committee of the Spanish football federation. For the Spanish champions, the La Liga president has not done enough on the matter, widely known in Spain as the Negreira case. That dissatisfaction adds to the public battle both sides have kept up for years over the management of Spanish football and Madrid's criticism of match officials.

Previous warning: Madrid already asked for Tebas to step down in September

This is not the first time Real Madrid have asked for Javier Tebas to leave. In September the club already demanded his resignation after the La Liga president criticised Madrid for attacking the refereeing team in the 2-1 defeat at Atlético Madrid. That episode, like the current one, revolved around Real Madrid's pressure on officials and the coverage their official channel gives to refereeing performances.

Spain fined over Islamophobic chants during friendly against Egypt

The row between Real Madrid and Tebas coincided with another story affecting Spanish football: the Spanish federation will take its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA rejected its appeal against sanctions imposed over Islamophobic chants by supporters during a friendly against Egypt in March. FIFA fined the federation $20,000, around £15,000, and ordered it to close at least 15% of available seats for Spain's next home friendly.

The incidents took place at the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, home of Espanyol, where some Spain fans chanted an offensive line implying that not jumping made someone a Muslim. The federation argued that the word Muslim was neither insulting nor pejorative and asked for the conduct to be assessed under a different article of the disciplinary code. FIFA rejected that argument, ruling that a term can be discriminatory depending on context even when no explicit slur is used.

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