Javier Tebas faces disciplinary scrutiny over Goebbels comparison

Javier Tebas’ dispute with Real Madrid has moved into a formal legal process after Spain’s National Sports Council referred comments by the La Liga president to the Administrative Sports Tribunal.

The Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) said on Thursday that it had submitted an official request to the Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte (TAD) to examine whether Tebas’ remarks amounted to a serious breach of Spain’s Sports Law.

Tebas, who is also a vice-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, compared Real Madrid’s media communication methods with the propaganda techniques used by Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s minister of propaganda.

The comments were made in a post published on Tebas’ account on the social media platform X last Friday. In the message, he criticised the way Real Madrid communicates publicly and invoked the name of Goebbels, one of the most prominent figures associated with propaganda under the Nazi regime.

The comparison prompted widespread controversy before the CSD intervened on its own initiative. The council used its legal powers to ask the TAD to determine whether Tebas’ statements contained evidence of a serious sporting offence.

Potential disciplinary action

According to Catalan newspaper Sport, the CSD’s request is based on Article 76, section four, paragraph “b” of Spain’s Sports Law 10/1990. The provision classifies public and clear actions that damage sporting dignity or decorum as serious offences.

In its submission, the council referred to previous decisions by the TAD, as well as rulings by Spain’s Supreme Court. Those precedents link sporting dignity and decorum to the need to maintain civilised conduct within the sporting environment.

That interpretation requires mutual respect between people who hold influential positions in sport, the council said.

The referral does not amount to a finding that Tebas has committed an offence. The CSD stressed that the TAD is independent when exercising its powers and will now assess whether the comments justify disciplinary action under Spanish law.

The controversy places Tebas’ public criticism of Real Madrid under formal review, with the tribunal responsible for deciding whether the remarks meet the legal threshold for a serious sporting violation.