Javier Tebas reignites Real Madrid Nazi propaganda row with comparison video

Javier Tebas has escalated his dispute with Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes by publishing a video comparing comments by the president of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) with remarks from Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez about the propaganda methods associated with Joseph Goebbels.

The La Liga president shared the video on Saturday through his account on X, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. It combines two separate clips: one in which Rodriguez Uribes condemns Tebas’s comparison involving Real Madrid’s television channel, and another in which Sanchez discusses how a major lie can be constructed from facts that are individually true.

Tebas argues that both men were describing the same propaganda techniques, while questioning why the CSD responded differently to his own comments.

In the first extract, Rodriguez Uribes says: “I believe this is unacceptable. Nazism or Goebbels can never be used as a comparison with a football club, particularly by the president of La Liga when discussing a club that belongs to the competition. In my view, this goes beyond the limits of freedom of expression.”

Sanchez, speaking during an interview with content creator Jordi Wild, says in the second clip: “The third method is apparent credibility: selecting some elements that are true and then building a big lie from them. There are many examples of this in political debate.”

Tebas captioned the video: “Pedro Sanchez explains the propaganda techniques used by Goebbels during an interview with Jordi Wild, in the context of talking about the opposition. I am referring to those same propaganda techniques in relation to Real Madrid’s channel and its media mouthpieces, while Rodriguez Uribes describes this as an unacceptable comparison.”

He added: “The reference to propaganda techniques is the same, but the reactions are completely different. Watch both clips and judge for yourselves.”

The dispute began on 16 October, when Tebas linked certain practices used by Real Madrid’s channel to methods associated with Goebbels, the propaganda minister in Nazi Germany.

Tebas said he was referring only to the repetition of messages, the deliberate selection of information and the creation of an enemy. He stressed that his comparison did not include Nazi ideology or Real Madrid supporters.

Real Madrid immediately called for Tebas to resign, describing his comments as unacceptable and exceptionally serious. Rodriguez Uribes also demanded that the La Liga president withdraw his remarks and apologise to the club.

On 22 October, the CSD submitted a reasoned request to the Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte (TAD) to examine whether Tebas’s statements constituted a breach of sports regulations.

The latest intervention comes as the row continues between Tebas, the governing body responsible for Spain’s top flight, and Real Madrid over the language used to describe the club’s media output.