LaLiga chief referred to sports tribunal for Real Madrid remarks

By Halis Sunnetci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) referred LaLiga President Javier Tebas to the country's Administrative Sports Tribunal (TAD) on Thursday for remarks comparing Real Madrid TV's communication methods to Nazi propaganda.

The CSD said it acted on its own initiative, asking the tribunal to assess whether Tebas' statements could violate Article 76.4.b of Spain's 1990 Sports Law, which classifies public acts undermining sporting dignity or decorum as serious infractions.

Tebas compared Real Madrid TV's communication strategy to propaganda techniques used by Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany's propaganda minister, in an Oct. 16 post on US social media company X.

Tebas maintained that his comparison referred to communication techniques rather than Nazi ideology or Real Madrid supporters.

Real Madrid condemned the remarks as unacceptable and demanded his immediate resignation as LaLiga president and vice president of the Spanish Football Federation.

CSD President Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes criticized the comparison as unacceptable and urged Tebas to apologize to the club.

Responding to the referral, Tebas accused the CSD of failing to address Real Madrid's repeated allegations against LaLiga and Spanish refereeing.

"Defending the competition also requires responding to those who constantly discredit it," he wrote on X. "It's part of my responsibility. And I'm going to keep exercising it.”

The tribunal will assess whether there are grounds for disciplinary proceedings, with possible penalties for serious infractions including warnings, fines or suspension.

Halis Sünnetci