Real Madrid have once again called for the resignation of LaLiga president Javier Tebas after he likened the club’s campaign to discredit referees to the propaganda tactics of Nazi Germany. Tebas posted a lengthy message on social media on Friday, accusing Madrid of using its club television channel to highlight alleged referee errors that he said hurt the team’s chances of winning. In the post he compared the channel’s approach to that of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, noting that the “script is always the same: select plays that favor it, repeat the alleged affront, increase suspicion and name enemies.” Tebas clarified that the comparison was about tactics, not ideology or the club’s supporters.
Real Madrid issued a statement condemning Tebas as “unfit to hold his job representing Spain’s top clubs” and demanded his immediate resignation. The club said that Tebas’ repeated attacks on Madrid and his failure to provide transparency and regeneration “represent a genuine scourge for Spanish football.” The statement also highlighted Tebas’ lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality, arguing that such conduct is incompatible with his institutional responsibilities. Madrid reiterated that Tebas had not done enough in the ongoing judicial probe into alleged payments to a Spanish federation referee committee official by Barcelona over several years.
The dispute has deepened over the past months, with Madrid previously demanding Tebas step down after he criticised the club for attacking referees in a 2‑1 loss to Atlético Madrid. Coach José Mourinho has also voiced grievances that Madrid is regularly harmed by refereeing decisions. The club’s 36 Spanish league titles and its status as a European powerhouse have made the conflict highly visible. Madrid’s latest statement underscores its frustration with Tebas’ conduct and its insistence that he resign to protect the integrity of Spanish football.