Real Madrid threaten legal action after journalist compares club channel to ETA-linked newspaper

Real Madrid have threatened to take legal action against Spanish journalist Juanma Castano after he compared the club’s official television channel with Gara, a newspaper linked to the history of the terrorist organisation ETA.

The club issued a strongly worded statement on Tuesday criticising comments made by Castano in an article published that day by ABC. In the piece, titled “Real Madrid at war”, the journalist drew a comparison between Real Madrid’s official media outlet and Gara.

Castano wrote: “On the official television channel, which is the Gara newspaper of the extreme Florentine tendency, they are calling for withdrawal from domestic competitions.”

Real Madrid described the comparison as “completely rejected and totally unacceptable”.

The club said comparing its media platform with a newspaper “linked in its history to the world of the terrorist organisation ETA represents an extremely serious overstepping of all boundaries”.

Real Madrid added that the club channel “legitimately exercises its right to provide information and defend the interests of the club, its members and its supporters”.

It also described the channel as the official media outlet of a club with a 124-year history that represents the feelings and values of millions of fans around the world.

The statement ended with a warning that Real Madrid “reserves the right to take whatever action it considers appropriate in response to an attack that is unacceptable in every respect”.

It was the club’s second official statement on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Real Madrid had responded to comments from Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish league La Liga.

Castano’s article addressed the reaction of Real Madrid supporters after the Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid at Metropolitano Stadium.

The journalist acknowledged that “the two most controversial incidents in the derby deserved two clear red cards”. He also accepted that Real Madrid “has every right to express its anger at the referee, video assistant referee technology and the refereeing committee”.

However, Castano argued that attributing all of the club’s problems solely to refereeing meant, in his words, “being blind to something that goes back a long way”.

Real Madrid’s statement focused on the comparison involving its official channel and Gara, rather than responding in detail to Castano’s wider criticism of the club’s reaction to the derby.

The dispute follows a period of public criticism from Real Madrid towards figures involved in Spanish football, with the club also issuing a separate statement aimed at La Liga president Javier Tebas earlier on Tuesday.