Real Madrid demand La Liga chief Javier Tebas resign over Nazi propaganda comparison
Tebas compared rhetoric from Real Madrid's management and its TV channel to Nazi propaganda methods, prompting the club to call for his resignation.
At a glance
- Real Madrid have demanded the resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas over his Nazi propaganda comparison.
- Tebas said Real Madrid TV's coverage of officiating recalled propaganda methods used by Goebbels.
- Tebas, La Liga president since 2013, was re-elected unopposed in 2023 to serve until 2027.
Real Madrid have called for La Liga president Javier Tebas to resign after he compared the rhetoric of the club's management and its television channel to the propaganda methods used by the Nazi Party in Germany.
The club issued a statement on Friday demanding that Tebas step down from his roles as La Liga president and as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. It described his remarks as "intolerable and extraordinarily serious."
What Tebas wrote
Earlier on Friday, Tebas wrote on social media that "Real Madrid's management directs an orchestra of mouthpieces and Real Madrid TV leads the singing."
He was responding to articles in the El Debate newspaper by two journalists who said he and La Liga were acting against Real Madrid's interests. Tebas said the authors were amplifying a message on behalf of the club's management.
The La Liga president also criticised Real Madrid TV's coverage of officiating in the club's matches. "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.
He added that the approach recalled propaganda mechanisms used by Goebbels, Nazi Germany's minister of propaganda, and said the comparison was with those techniques rather than with an ideology or with the club's fanbase.
Club response
Real Madrid said Tebas's "repeated conduct demonstrates a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities."
The club also objected to him drawing on questions, information or opinions from journalists unconnected to Real Madrid to direct accusations at the club, attributing to it "actions of third parties for which we bear no responsibility."
A deepening feud
The demand deepens an existing dispute between the club and the league's chief. Last month, Real Madrid called for a new La Liga president after Tebas described the club's complaints about refereeing decisions as a "smokescreen" for its shortcomings on the pitch.
Tebas, 64, has been La Liga president since 2013 and was re-elected unopposed in 2023 to serve until 2027. He is elected by the 42 professional clubs in Spain's top two divisions.
Real Madrid's statement came hours after La Liga confirmed that the club is one of six that will sit on the league's Executive Committee this season.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why does Real Madrid want Javier Tebas to resign?
- The club says his comparison of its management and television channel to Nazi propaganda methods was intolerable and extraordinarily serious, and that his conduct shows a lack of neutrality and respect.
- What did Tebas say about Real Madrid TV?
- He said its coverage of officiating always selects the plays that suit the club, repeats the grievance and points fingers at enemies, and that this recalls propaganda mechanisms used by Goebbels.
- How long has Javier Tebas been La Liga president?
- He has held the role since 2013 and was re-elected unopposed in 2023 to serve until 2027, chosen by the 42 professional clubs in Spain's top two tiers.
