On 2026-10-16, Real Madrid released a strongly worded statement demanding the immediate resignation of Javier Tebas, who serves as president of LaLiga and vice president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The trigger was Tebas’s public remark that the club’s propaganda methods resembled those employed by Nazi Germany. Real Madrid characterized the comment as "absolutely intolerable" and of "extraordinary gravity," arguing that a figure holding two top positions in Spanish football should not resort to such a comparison to discredit the club, its leadership, or its television channel.
In the same statement, Real Madrid went further, accusing Tebas of directing what it described as an "orchestra of portacoces" with Real Madrid TV at the helm. The metaphor suggests that Tebas is allegedly coordinating a campaign of criticism against the club, using its own media outlet as the lead instrument. The club framed this as a breach of institutional neutrality, claiming that the LaLiga president is using his influence to orchestrate a sustained attack rather than acting as an impartial arbiter of the competition.
Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, added his own criticism, likening Tebas’s approach to the tactics of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi minister of propaganda. Pérez said that Tebas’s "score" is always the same: selecting the plays that suit him, repeating the grievance, feeding suspicion, and pointing to enemies. This personal attack underscored the depth of the rift, moving the dispute beyond institutional critique into a characterization of Tebas’s methods as manipulative and propagandistic in nature.
Pérez said that Tebas’s "score" is always the same: selecting the plays that suit him, repeating the grievance, feeding suspicion, and pointing to enemies.
After the backlash, Javier Tebas clarified that his comparison was intended to refer only to techniques of communication, not to any ideological alignment with Nazism. He clarified that his comparison referred only to techniques, not ideology. Despite this clarification, Real Madrid maintained that the statement was deeply offensive and morally repugnant. The club insisted that the comparison, regardless of Tebas’s intent, was unacceptable and reiterated its demand for his immediate resignation from both LaLiga and the RFEF.
This episode is not isolated; it is the latest in a series of confrontations between Tebas and Real Madrid. Over recent months, the two sides have had several confrontations. The club has demanded his immediate resignation.
As of the date of the statement, 2026-10-16, Real Madrid’s demand for Javier Tebas’s resignation remains outstanding, with the club awaiting a response from LaLiga’s leadership and the RFEF. The controversy has drawn attention across Spanish football, raising questions about the boundaries of criticism, the role of league officials in club disputes, and the potential impact on the sport’s institutional credibility.