The petition to the tribunal

Spain's Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), the sports body of the government, acted on its own initiative on Thursday, 22 October, by filing a reasoned request with the Administrative Tribunal for Sport (TAD). The request concerns a post that Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga and vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), published on X on 16 October. In it he likened the communication methods of Real Madrid and its television channel to the 'propaganda mechanisms' that Joseph Goebbels, minister of propaganda in Nazi Germany, exploited. The CSD asked the tribunal to assess whether the post shows signs of a possible serious infringement of article 76.4.b of the Sports Law (Law 10/1990), which covers notorious and public acts that offend sporting dignity or decorum. Although the CSD acted of its own accord, the move followed a complaint from Real Madrid. Its chairman, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, had already publicly asked Tebas to retract the comparison. The council justified the petition with the following statement:

“Within sporting institutions, it is essential to preserve the values that make sport a space of respect, coexistence and fair play.”

What the tribunal must weigh

The TAD is attached to the CSD but, according to the council's account, acts with functional independence. The council points to the tribunal's own doctrine, which draws on Supreme Court case law and holds that sporting dignity and decorum depend on a civilised framework of coexistence. That framework requires mutual respect among people who hold relevant roles in sport. On this reading, the CSD argues that the risk of a penalty for Tebas lies in the tribunal's existing case law. The request asks the tribunal only to examine whether there are indications of an infringement, not to rule on the matter itself.

Tebas's reply

Tebas responded quickly on X, directing his answer at the government body. He wrote that neither the state secretary for sport nor senior CSD officials had said a word of reproach about accusations that Real Madrid and its channel have levelled at LaLiga and refereeing, including claims of corruption and an adulterated competition. He noted that Real Madrid TV broadcasts under a public licence. He also asked why the CSD had never intervened over the corruption claims. Reacting to the filing, he wrote:

“We expected this, any excuse would do.”

He added that the grounds for the complaint had changed while the insistence had stayed the same, and he read the petition as an attempt to have him disqualified.

Real Madrid's demand

Real Madrid had reacted to Tebas's post within hours of it appearing. In a statement, the club demanded his immediate resignation as LaLiga president and RFEF vice president. It said it would keep defending its rights and its institutional prestige, pursue the complete clarification of the Negreira case, and press for the necessary regeneration of Spanish football.

What happens next

The TAD must first decide whether to admit the CSD's request for processing. The alleged offence is classed as serious rather than very serious, so the government cannot provisionally suspend Tebas while the tribunal rules. The articles do not give a date for the tribunal's decision.