Real Madrid have called for the immediate resignation of La Liga president Javier Tebas after he compared the club's management and official media strategy to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. The Spanish giants have demanded that Tebas step down from his leadership of the domestic top flight as well as his role as vice-president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), describing his remarks as both "deeply offensive" and "morally repugnant."
The controversy was triggered by a message shared by Tebas on X on Friday, in which he claimed that Real Madrid's directors lead an "orchestra of mouthpieces" with Real Madrid TV at the forefront. Tebas stated that the club's methods involved choosing favourable plays, repeating grievances, feeding suspicion, and pointing fingers at perceived enemies. He asserted that such tactics recall the propaganda mechanisms utilised by Goebbels, citing the systematic repetition, fabrication of an enemy, and subordination of facts to a narrative. Tebas subsequently sought to clarify his comments by noting he was referencing propaganda techniques rather than an ideology, but Real Madrid dismissed the explanation, arguing it did not lessen the "institutionally unworthy nature of his statements."
In an official statement condemning the remarks, Real Madrid declared: "Real Madrid considers it 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 added that this incident represents yet another episode in an ongoing pattern of hostility demonstrated by Tebas against the team, club president Florentino Perez, and the organisation's broadcast outlets.
The sharp exchange marks the latest flashpoint in an enduring dispute between the league administrator and the club. Just last month, Tebas criticised Real Madrid for suggesting that a refereeing conspiracy existed against them, and in 2025 he argued the club had "lost their head" after they submitted a formal complaint to the Spanish FA concerning league officiating. Tebas has also maintained a combative stance against Perez and the club ever since opposing their plans to enter a European Super League in 2021, illustrating an ongoing rift at the very top of Spanish football.