The key facts

  • Real Madrid demanded Tebas's resignation from the posts of La Liga president and federation vice-president
  • The reason was Tebas's comparison of the club's methods with those of Goebbels
  • The club also called for a reform of the refereeing system and clarification of the Negreira case through UEFA

Demand for Resignation

Real Madrid on Friday officially demanded the immediate resignation of Javier Tebas from the post of La Liga president, as well as from the position of vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The club accused him of repeated attacks on the club, its president and media outlets, as well as of a lack of neutrality and impartiality which, in the club's view, are incompatible with his institutional duties.

The Reason — the Comparison with Goebbels

The statement was a response to Tebas's remarks comparing Real Madrid's leadership methods with those of Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister of Nazi Germany, and calling the club's television channel Real Madrid TV an instrument of this allegedly existing strategy. The club characterized the comparison as 'absolutely intolerable and extremely serious', noting that Tebas's explanation that he did not mean Nazi ideology does not diminish the 'deeply offensive' nature of the remark.

The Negreira Case and Demands for Reform

The club also criticized Tebas for his comments on the club's actions regarding the Negreira case — the payments made by Barcelona over a number of years to companies linked to José María Enríquez Negreira, former vice-president of Spain's refereeing technical committee. Real Madrid recalled that it had approached UEFA for clarification on these payments and called for measures to protect the integrity of competitions. The club demanded a comprehensive overhaul of the refereeing system and the governance structures of Spanish football, including the replacement of officials who held responsible posts during the relevant period. In the club's view, instead of using his positions to clarify the Negreira case and bring about the 'necessary regeneration' of Spanish football, Tebas focused on discrediting Real Madrid, and his attacks on those demanding transparency and reform constitute 'a real disaster for Spanish football'.