Real Madrid demand Tebas quits LaLiga and RFEF roles over Nazi propaganda comparison

Real Madrid issued a formal demand on Friday, October 16, calling for Javier Tebas to resign from both his LaLiga presidency and his vice-presidency at the Royal Spanish Football Federation after he compared methods associated with Real Madrid TV to propaganda techniques used by Nazi Germany’s Joseph Goebbels.

In its statement, the club described the comparison as deeply offensive and said it was extraordinary for a person holding two senior positions in Spanish football to invoke Nazi propaganda methods to discredit the club, its management and its television channel. Real Madrid rejected Tebas’s subsequent clarification — that he was not referring to Nazi ideology — as doing nothing to lessen the seriousness of his remarks.

The club characterised the episode as the latest in a series of attacks by Tebas against Real Madrid, its president and its media outlets, and objected to him attributing to the club actions by third parties for which it said it bore no responsibility.

Negreira case at the heart of the dispute

Real Madrid connected Tebas’s remarks to his criticism of the club and Real Madrid TV over their conduct in the Negreira case. The club said it had approached UEFA seeking full clarification of payments made over several years by FC Barcelona to the vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees, as well as measures to protect the integrity of competitions.

It also called for a comprehensive overhaul of the refereeing system and of the structures responsible for governance, management, supervision and discipline in Spanish football — including the replacement of individuals who held positions of responsibility during the period under scrutiny.

Madrid argue Tebas is unfit for either post

Real Madrid argued that Tebas’s repeated conduct demonstrated a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities. The club said his attacks on those demanding transparency and reform disqualified him from continuing in either role.

The demand explicitly covers both his LaLiga presidency and his RFEF vice-presidency. Real Madrid said it would continue defending its institutional standing, pursuing clarification of the Negreira payments and pressing for structural reform across Spanish football.