Spain is facing a closely fought and arguably historic general election, but probably most football fans are more interested in a clash between Real Madrid and the president of La Liga. With one branch of my family now resident in Spain and my great-granddaughter likely to become a Spanish citizen, I have been reading up on the country’s politics and history. My preliminary conclusion is that some of the rows in football have deeper historical roots in a country that was wracked by a civil war.
Real Madrid have demanded the “immediate resignation” of La
Liga president Javier Tebas after he likened the approach of the club’s
management to that of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazis’ infamous propaganda chief. (Nazi Germany gave active support to Franco
during the Spanish Civil War).
Madrid described Tebas’ remarks as “deeply offensive” and
“morally repugnant”. Madrid said they disqualified him from continuing to hold
his positions as head of the Spanish top flight and vice-president of the
Spanish FA and called on him to step down from both roles.
“Javier Tebas’ repeated conduct demonstrates a lack of
neutrality, respect, and impartiality incompatible with his institutional
responsibilities,” read Madrid’s statement. “His constant attacks on Real
Madrid and those who demand transparency and reform constitute, in our club’s
opinion, a true scourge for Spanish football.”
On Friday Tebas, in a lengthy post on X, compared the
communication strategy of Madrid’s management and in-house TV channel to that
used by Goebbels, who was the minister for propaganda in Nazi Germany.
The club retorted: “Real Madrid believes that Javier Tebas’
repeated statements and behaviour would be unacceptable in any European sports
institution that is governed by principles of respect, neutrality and
integrity, and that they disqualify him institutionally from continuing to hold
the positions he occupies.”
Tebas later responded to Madrid’s call for his resignation
in another lengthy X post, in which he accused the club of trying to “destroy”
La Liga over their frequent complaints about refereeing decisions.
“My conclusion: they seek to DESTROY the national
competition,” Tebas wrote. “What they haven’t achieved so far with the (aborted
European) Super League, they’re trying with a distorted narrative from their
media and their lapdogs. They call it renewal while attacking the prestige of
the competition they participate in.”
In response, the Spanish club appeared to call on him to be
replaced, describing his words as “intolerable, inappropriate and
irresponsible”. They said La Liga “urgently needed a leader capable of managing
it”.
Tebas appears to have been motivated to write his message on
Friday following the publication of two articles in Spanish media outlet El
Debate that mirrored complaints aired on Real Madrid TV. One was about
refereeing, while the other claimed La Liga was seeking to punish Real Madrid
by making their schedule more difficult.
Tebas and Madrid president Florentino Perez have been at
loggerheads in recent years over a variety of issues. Madrid have been opponents of La Liga’s plans
to stage an annual fixture in the United States, Tebas was a prominent critic
of Perez’s plans to create a breakaway European Super League, while they have
also disagreed over a variety of league-specific issues, including audiovisual
rights.
Some years ago, I had the privilege of an audience with the
current King of Spain, then crown price.
I was impressed by the questions he asked, no doubt informed by having
attended a top American university.
Despite the historic connection of the royal house with Real, he will no
doubt keep well away from this dispute, but quite how it will be resolved is unclear.
The writer has received hospitality at Real Madrid.
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