Real Madrid Demands Tebas’ Resignation Over Goebbels Propaganda Comparison

Real Madrid have demanded the immediate resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas after he compared the club’s criticism of referees and its use of Real Madrid TV to propaganda techniques associated with Nazi Germany’s former propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels.

According to the BBC, Tebas made the remarks in a post on X, accusing Real Madrid’s management of orchestrating media criticism of referees and repeatedly promoting claims that the club had been treated unfairly.

Real Madrid described the comparison as “deeply offensive” and “morally repugnant”, insisting that Tebas’s subsequent clarification did not diminish the seriousness of his comments.

In his post, Tebas accused the club’s management of directing media criticism through its own platforms and other outlets.

He wrote that Real Madrid’s management “directs an orchestra of mouthpieces” while its television channel “leads the singing”.

Tebas further alleged that the club selected incidents that supported its position, repeatedly portrayed itself as a victim and fuelled suspicion against referees and other football authorities.

He added: “That method recalls propaganda mechanisms exploited by Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s minister of propaganda: systematic repetition, construction of an enemy, and subordination of facts to the narrative.”

Tebas later clarified that his comparison concerned “those propaganda techniques” rather than Nazi ideology.

However, Real Madrid rejected the explanation, arguing that it did not address what the club described as the unacceptable nature of his remarks.

In a statement, the Spanish giants said: “It is absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious that someone holding two positions of utmost responsibility in Spanish football resorts to a comparison with the propaganda methods of the Nazi regime to discredit our club, its management and its television.”

The club called on Tebas to resign as president of La Liga and as vice-president of the Spanish Football Association, arguing that his comments were incompatible with the responsibilities of his positions.

Real Madrid also described the controversy as another episode in what it considers a pattern of attacks by Tebas against the club, its president, Florentino Pérez, and its media outlets.

The latest dispute adds to the longstanding tensions between Tebas and Pérez, who have clashed over several issues, including Real Madrid’s backing for the proposed European Super League and its criticism of refereeing decisions.

In September, Tebas also criticised Real Madrid after the club alleged that a refereeing conspiracy was working against it.

The latest exchange highlights the continuing divisions between La Liga’s leadership and one of Spanish football’s most prominent clubs over refereeing, media coverage and the governance of the game.