La Liga Chief Tebas Faces Scrutiny Over Nazi Propaganda Comparison; Real Madrid Demands Resignation

La Liga President Javier Tebas is under review by Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) for a social media post comparing Real Madrid's communication tactics to those of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. The CSD has requested that the country's Administrative Court for Sport (TAD) investigate whether Tebas's remarks, made on the platform X on October 16, constitute an offense under Spain's 1990 Sports Law. This law prohibits "notorious and public acts that harm sporting dignity or decorum." The CSD emphasized the importance of upholding sport's values of respect, coexistence, and fair play.

Real Madrid had previously called for Tebas's resignation after he accused the club of attempting to discredit referees in Spain. Tebas stated that Real Madrid's in-house television channel frequently suggested referees were biased against the club, drawing a parallel to "propaganda mechanisms exploited by Goebbels." He later clarified that his comparison was with "propaganda techniques" and not Nazi ideology, reiterating this distinction in a subsequent X post. Tebas also questioned why Real Madrid's accusations of corruption against the refereeing system did not, in his view, harm sporting dignity and decorum, asking if such harm was only relevant when responding to attacks.

Real Madrid regularly criticizes referees on their television channel and last year alleged that officiating in Spain was "rigged" and "totally discredited." La Liga has not yet provided an immediate comment.