The row between Real Madrid and LaLiga’s top boss escalated further on Sunday when fans in the Bernabeu’s south stand unfurled a banner reading ‘It’s not football, it’s Tebas and Negreira’
The war of words between Real Madrid and LaLiga’s top boss has exploded after president Javier Tebas likened the club’s media strategy to Nazi propaganda and accused them of orchestrating fan hostility against him.
The bitter feud erupted on Friday when Tebas claimed the club’s management directs an “orchestra of mouthpieces” – led by Real Madrid TV and selected journalists – to portray the team as victims of refereeing decisions. In an astonishing outburst, he compared their methods to those of Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, citing “systematic repetition, construction of an enemy, and subordination of facts to the narrative”.
Real Madrid hit back furiously in an official statement, branding the comparison “morally repugnant” and “absolutely intolerable”, whilst demanding Tebas’ immediate resignation. A defiant Tebas refused, accusing the club and its “lapdogs” of trying to destroy the domestic league.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
The row escalated further on Sunday when fans in the Bernabeu’s south stand unfurled a banner reading: “It’s not football, it’s Tebas and Negreira.”
For the unaware, the Negreira scandal is an ongoing Spanish football corruption investigation into Barcelona allegedly paying roughly €7.3 million (£6.2m) between 2001 and 2018 to companies owned by José María Enríquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee. Prosecutors allege this bought officiating favouritism, whilst Barcelona insist it was for legitimate scouting reports.
Reacting on X, Tebas shared the following statement: “It has only taken two days for the facts to prove me right. In my post of October 16, I pointed to Tomás González-Martín, of El Debate, as a mouthpiece for the Real Madrid management’s narrative. The club responded that same day, October 16, with a statement hiding behind the opinions of “journalists external to the club,” for which it claimed no responsibility.
“In my response of October 16, I asked them for something very specific: to deny the comparison with Negreira that the journalist attributed to club sources and the accusations that LaLiga is harming them with scheduling. I asked them to publish all their requests for changes and how many had been granted. The ENTIRE record, including the accepted requests that undermine the narrative of persecution.
“On October 18th, Real Madrid TV once again attacked me, and their supporters’ section, coordinated and supervised by the club, displayed a banner: “It’s not football, it’s Tebas and Negreira.” Are they going to explain this away from the club’s official stance as well? The similarity to the narrative I denounced is obvious.
“And there’s something particularly serious: targeting specific individuals. In my post of October 16th, I already recalled that phrase: “I’ll turn all the Real Madrid fans against you, and you won’t be able to walk down the street.” What happened on October 18th reinforces my denunciation of this attempt to transform disagreements with the club’s management into fan hostility against a single person.
“To single out, discredit, and fuel such hostility is a tremendous irresponsibility. Leaders have an obligation to understand the consequences of the messages they promote and amplify.
“And another example: their October 17th publication about “the international press.” Reports from Reuters, BBC, and L’Équipe—which Real Madrid itself reproduces—state that it is Real Madrid that is making the request. To portray the coverage of their demand as endorsement of that demand is manipulation. One only needs to read their own publication to verify this, as I pointed out in another post.
“The Real Madrid management has become entrenched in manipulation and falsehoods, including in its official statements and publications. They fuel grievances, repeat accusations, target individuals, and then portray themselves as victims when the proceedings are challenged. They can continue demanding my resignation. Questions about their sources, their accusations, and their schedules remain unanswered since October 16. Every day they illustrate better what I denounced.”