Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes, president of Spain's Higher Sports Council, called on Javier Tebas to retract his remarks and apologise to Real Madrid after Tebas compared the media methods of the club's channel to those used by Joseph Goebbels. Spain's Higher Sports Council has also begun examining the matter through its legal department.
Uribes demands a retraction
GOAL reported that AS carried Uribes' comments, which GOAL said he made to the Spanish news agency at an event in Manises, Valencia, on Saturday. Uribes said: "The comparison made by Tebas is unacceptable, and I call on him to retract his remarks and apologise to Real Madrid."
Uribes also said: "I believe that freedom of expression in Spain, which is a fundamental pillar of democracy, enjoys a very wide margin, indeed an extremely wide one, but it does not under any circumstances extend to referring to Nazism and Goebbels when speaking about one of the clubs in the Spanish league."
Remarks and responsibility
Uribes said Tebas's comments go beyond the limits of legitimate criticism, particularly given the position he holds. He said: "On top of that, these remarks came from the president of the league itself, which doubles the responsibility."
Uribes also said: "I believe, from an ethical and political standpoint, and from the perspective of a sense of responsibility, that this involves an enormous exaggeration, and I think Tebas should apologise to Real Madrid."
Council examines possible consequences
The legal department of Spain's Higher Sports Council is looking into the matter. Uribes said he has instructed the relevant bodies to study whether the remarks made by the president of the Spanish league association could carry any disciplinary consequences.
Tebas defends the comparison
Tebas defended the comparison. He accused Real Madrid's channel of churning out content in which the club always plays the victim, picking whatever reinforces its sense of being wronged and leaving out the context around events.