Real Madrid demands Javier Tebas resign from La Liga and federation roles

Real Madrid is seeking Javier Tebas’s immediate departure from both of his senior Spanish football roles after accusing him of comparing the club’s leadership methods to those of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.

In a statement, the club called Tebas’s remarks “absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious.” It said he had also described Real Madrid TV as a tool in the alleged strategy, and argued that Tebas’s clarification that he was not referring to Nazi ideology did not make the comparison less offensive. Real Madrid accused him of repeatedly attacking the club, its president and its media operation.

The confrontation is tied to the Negreira case and a broader dispute over Spanish football governance. Real Madrid said it had approached UEFA for a full explanation of payments made over the years by Barcelona to the vice-president of Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees. It also called for measures to protect competition integrity and a comprehensive review of refereeing and federation governance, including the renewal of people who held positions of responsibility during the period in question.

The Negreira case takes its name from a former Barcelona vice-president accused of maintaining relationships with referees and arbitration officials between 2011 and 2018. Real Madrid criticised Tebas for challenging the club’s actions over the case rather than using his institutional positions to pursue clarification. The club said his conduct showed a lack of neutrality and impartiality; those are Real Madrid’s claims.

Tebas has led La Liga since 2013 and was re-elected in December 2023, leaving him due to remain in the post until the end of 2027. Tensions with Real Madrid have built over several years and intensified as club president Florentino Pérez’s media strategy increasingly targeted refereeing. Tebas’s remarks came on September 22, two days after Atlético Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the derby. That match featured Dean Huijsen’s straight red card and further disputes over challenges on Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.

Real Madrid’s demand puts fresh pressure on Tebas’s position, but the club’s statement also makes clear that it intends to continue seeking answers from UEFA over the Negreira case. Its call for broader institutional and refereeing changes extends the dispute beyond the exchange of accusations between Tebas and the club.