Another controversy has erupted in Spanish football.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas criticized media outlets closely associated with Real Madrid. His comparison between the club’s television channel and the Nazi regime triggered a major backlash on social media. Florentino Pérez’s board is calling for his resignation.
Real Madrid has called on Javier Tebas to resign as LaLiga president. The demand came after the LaLiga chief posted some comments on social media comparing Real Madrid’s official television channel to Nazi Germany’s Ministry of Propaganda. The controversy has spread throughout Spain and could potentially end up in court.
The story began when Javier Tebas responded to a couple of articles published by the media outlet El Debate. He criticized the journalists for how they had written the articles and for their criticism of LaLiga and its refereeing. He compared the outlet to Nazi Germany’s Ministry of Propaganda in terms of its methods of disseminating information.
“Real Madrid’s management conducts an orchestra of spokespersons, and Real Madrid TV leads the way. Their score is always the same: select the incidents that suit them, repeat the grievance, fuel suspicion and point fingers at their enemies. That method recalls propaganda techniques exploited by Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda: systematic repetition, the construction of an enemy and the subordination of facts to a narrative. The comparison is with those propaganda techniques, not with an ideology and certainly not with Real Madrid supporters,” Javier Tebas wrote on his X account. At the time this article was written, the post was still online.
Real Madrid’s response was swift. Through its social media channels and official website, the Spanish giants published a strong statement targeting LaLiga president Javier Tebas. The club condemned the comparison he had made when criticizing its official television channel. For several seasons, Real Madrid TV has repeatedly highlighted alleged refereeing errors and what the club sees as campaigns against the team. The most striking aspect of the situation is that refereeing in Spanish football is not governed by LaLiga but by the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
“Real Madrid C. F. considers it absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious that a person holding two positions of the highest responsibility in Spanish football should resort to a comparison with the propaganda methods of the Nazi regime to discredit our club, its leadership and its television channel. The clarification that he is not referring to Nazi ideology does not diminish the deeply offensive, morally repugnant and institutionally unworthy nature of his remarks,” Real Madrid’s statement began, addressing the controversy that unfolded on social media throughout Friday, October 16.
The statement contains several points, but its strongest passage is Real Madrid’s demand that Javier Tebas resign. The club is asking him to leave his position following what it considers a direct attack on one of the teams competing in the league. It is worth remembering that Real Madrid is represented on LaLiga’s main governing board.
“Real Madrid C. F. demands his immediate resignation as president of LaLiga and vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Real Madrid C. F. will continue to defend its rights and its institutional standing,” the club concluded in a statement following another highly controversial day in Spanish football.
