In a strongly worded statement released on Friday, October 16, the club condemned the comparison as deeply offensive and unacceptable, arguing that Tebas’ comments were incompatible with the responsibilities of a senior administrator in Spanish football.
Real Madrid called on Tebas to relinquish both his position as LaLiga president and his role as vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, accusing him of undermining the neutrality and impartiality expected of someone occupying such influential offices.
The dispute followed comments by Tebas in which he suggested that Real Madrid’s management and television channel employed communication tactics reminiscent of those used by Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister.
Tebas had criticised what he viewed as the club’s repeated efforts to promote favourable narratives, emphasise its grievances and portray perceived opponents as enemies. He argued that the approach reflected propaganda techniques based on repetition, the creation of adversaries and the manipulation of public narratives.
The LaLiga chief subsequently clarified that his comparison was directed at the communication methods he attributed to Real Madrid, rather than Nazi ideology or the club’s supporters.
However, his explanation did little to ease the controversy, with Real Madrid maintaining that the remarks crossed an unacceptable line.
“Real Madrid CF 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 said in its statement.
The Spanish giants insisted that Tebas’ clarification did not reduce the seriousness of his comments, describing the comparison as morally repugnant and unbecoming of a senior football administrator.
Real Madrid also accused the LaLiga president of repeatedly directing criticism at the club, its president and its media platforms, further deepening the longstanding animosity between the two sides.
The latest confrontation comes against the backdrop of wider disagreements over the governance of Spanish football, including the controversial Negreira case involving payments made by Barcelona to a former vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees.
Real Madrid has repeatedly called for greater scrutiny of the matter, criticising what it considers an inadequate institutional response. The club disclosed that it had approached UEFA to seek a comprehensive investigation into the payments.
It has also advocated far-reaching reforms of Spain’s refereeing system and football administration structures, arguing that greater accountability is necessary to safeguard the integrity of the game.
Against this backdrop, Madrid maintained that Tebas’ latest remarks reinforced its concerns about his ability to exercise his responsibilities impartially, particularly given his positions within LaLiga and the Spanish football federation.
“Consequently, Real Madrid demands his immediate resignation as president of LaLiga and vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation,” the statement concluded.
The demand represents a fresh escalation in the increasingly strained relationship between Real Madrid and LaLiga’s leadership, with the latest dispute adding to a series of disagreements over the governance, public image and institutional direction of Spanish football.