Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish league and deputy head of the football association, has recently made some extremely inappropriate remarks – and whilst he need not fear disciplinary action from the National Sports Council (CSD) over his Goebbels comparison, the matter is not yet over for him.
Javier Tebas and Real Madrid have been at loggerheads for years. Last week, the 64-year-old caused a scandal when he compared Real’s constant complaints against Spanish referees to the methods used by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. This sparked a wave of outrage; Real Madrid demanded his resignation and appealed to every conceivable authority.
Tebas subsequently toned down his remarks, emphasising that his comparison had explicitly referred to parallels in the communication tactics employed by the Madrid club and was not intended to equate them with the ideology of Hitler’s regime. However, the outrage persisted – and the National Sports Council (CSD), called upon by record champions Real Madrid, took up the case. It was decided that Tebas need not fear any disciplinary action.
Administrative Court for Sport (TAD) involved
However, the matter is not quite over for the 64-year-old, as the CSD referred the proceedings to the Administrative Court for Sport (TAD) to determine whether there had been a breach of Spanish sports law.
The TAD must now examine whether Tebas’s statements constitute a “flagrant and public act that violates sporting dignity or decency”. In its decision to refer the case, the CSD emphasised that “it is crucial to uphold the values that make sport a space of respect, coexistence and fair play”.
Real Madrid is also seeking a ruling against the 64-year-old by the TAD, arguing that his statements are “deeply offensive, morally repugnant and institutionally unworthy”, as the Blancos emphasise. This represents “a new episode in Javier Tebas’ repeated attacks on Real Madrid, its president and its media”, the statement continued. It is “absolutely intolerable and extremely serious that someone who holds two positions of the highest responsibility in Spanish football should resort to a comparison with the propaganda methods of the Nazi regime.”