Real Madrid’s dispute with Javier Tebas escalated on Friday as the club demanded his resignation and the LaLiga president accused its leadership of intimidation. Separately, the RFEF Appeals Committee rejected Madrid’s challenge to Vinícius Júnior’s four-match suspension, leaving the Brazilian set to miss El Clásico unless a further appeal changes the outcome. Both developments come as Madrid prepare to host Sevilla following Wednesday’s comeback victory in Rome.
Madrid demand Tebas’ resignation after Goebbels comparison
Real Madrid have demanded Javier Tebas’
immediate resignation as LaLiga president and RFEF vice-president, following his comparison of the club’s communication strategy to propaganda techniques associated with Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister.
In his initial post on X, Tebas accused Madrid’s leadership and television channel of presenting selective accounts of refereeing decisions and scheduling disputes.
“The Real Madrid management conducts an orchestra of spokespeople, and Real Madrid TV leads the charge. Their script is always the same: select the plays that suit their agenda, repeat the grievance, fuel suspicion, and point the finger at the enemies,” Tebas wrote.
“This method is reminiscent of the propaganda mechanisms exploited by Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s Minister of Propaganda: systematic repetition, the construction of an enemy, and the subordination of facts to the narrative. The comparison is with these propaganda techniques, not with an ideology, nor, of course, with Real Madrid fans.”
Madrid rejected both the comparison and Tebas’ qualification of it in an official statement.
“Real Madrid CF considers it absolutely intolerable and extremely serious that someone holding two top positions of responsibility in Spanish football would resort to comparing the club’s propaganda methods to those of the Nazi regime in order to discredit it, its management, and its television channel. The clarification that he is not referring to Nazi ideology does not diminish the deeply offensive, morally repugnant, and institutionally undignified nature of his statements.”
The club described the remarks as another instance of what it considers repeated attacks against Madrid, Florentino Pérez and its media outlets. It also objected to being held responsible for the reporting or opinions of journalists who do not work for the club.
Madrid linked its response to its demands concerning the Negreira case, saying it had approached UEFA because it considered the response from Spanish football’s institutions insufficient. The statement called for a comprehensive overhaul of the refereeing system and the federation’s governing, supervisory and disciplinary structures, including the replacement of those who held responsibility during the period under investigation.
“Javier Tebas’s repeated conduct demonstrates a lack of neutrality, respect, and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities,” the club stated, before demanding his departure from both positions.
Tebas responds: “This all has a name: intimidation”
Tebas subsequently issued a lengthy response rejecting Madrid’s criticism of his conduct and defending his obligation to respond to attacks on LaLiga.
“They confuse neutrality with independence. My position demands independence, not passivity in the face of injustice, nor silence in the face of the continuous, excessive, and insulting attacks on our competition by Real Madrid TV and its mouthpieces. The president of LaLiga must defend it, even against the Real Madrid executives,” he wrote.
He disputed Madrid’s account of LaLiga’s response to the Negreira case.
“LaLiga acted from the very beginning in the Negreira case. Repeating that we were passive doesn’t make it true.”
Tebas also questioned the timing of Madrid’s more confrontational relationship with Barcelona, linking it to the Catalan club’s departure from the Super League project. He cited Pérez’s earlier comments about cooperation between the clubs and asked whether their institutional interests, rather than the underlying allegations, had changed.
“What changed? Why does this escalation coincide with Barça’s break with the Super League? Did the seriousness of the events change, or their interests? Where was Real Madrid TV’s outrage before?”
The LaLiga president further argued that seeking accountability over Barcelona’s payments did not establish wrongdoing by individual referees. He challenged Madrid to identify the evidence and specific complaints behind any suggestion that current officials remained influenced by Negreira.
Scheduling requests form another part of the dispute
Tebas also called for the publication of Madrid’s requests to change match dates and kick-off times, including those involving other events at the Bernabéu. He claimed Madrid had benefited from numerous approved changes and argued that discussing only rejected requests gave an incomplete account.
“That’s the balance sheet that needs to be published: what Real Madrid requested, what was granted, and what couldn’t be accommodated, along with the reasons why. The scheduling also affects the opposing team, other clubs, fans, and the competition’s broadcasting commitments. A request doesn’t become a right simply because it comes from Real Madrid, nor does a refusal demonstrate persecution. LaLiga is defending its competition.”
Tebas concluded by accusing Madrid’s leadership of attempting to damage the domestic competition and of confusing criticism of its executives with attacks on the club’s supporters.
“Stop targeting people and confusing criticism of your leaders with attacks on the club and its fans.”
“This all has a name: intimidation. Wrapping it in an official statement doesn’t make it regeneration.”
Vinícius’ appeal rejected: four-match suspension remains
The RFEF Appeals Committee has dismissed Real Madrid’s appeal against Vinícius Júnior’s suspension, upholding two matches for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair and another two for his subsequent protests to referee Isidro Díaz de Mera during the Villarreal match.
Unless the decision is overturned or its enforcement suspended, Vinícius will miss the league fixtures against Sevilla on October 18, Barcelona on October 25, Racing Santander on November 1 and Valencia on November 7. His next opportunity to return in LaLiga would be against Celta Vigo on the weekend of November 21–22.
Madrid had sought to overturn both punishments or have the incidents reclassified under provisions carrying lesser sanctions. Regarding the dismissal, the club argued that the footage showed accidental contact rather than a deliberate hair-pull. The Appeals Committee rejected that interpretation and found no clear material error in the referee’s account.
The committee maintained the application of Article 130.2, finding that the incident occurred outside a legitimate contest for the ball. It also upheld the separate punishment under Article 127 for the protests after the dismissal. The two-match penalty imposed for each offence was the minimum under the provisions applied.
Why the referee’s inability to identify specific words did not overturn the second ban
Madrid also challenged the punishment for Vinícius’ protests because Díaz de Mera had not recorded any identifiable expression. The committee distinguished between hearing particular words and observing a player’s behaviour.
“The fact that the referee could not identify the exact words spoken does not preclude him from perceiving the attitude, gestures, direction, and context in which the behavior occurred. The inability to reproduce the expressions used verbatim should not be confused with the inability to identify the nature of the player’s actions,” the ruling stated.
It also rejected the argument that the reaction following the dismissal should be absorbed into the original offence, treating the hair-pull and subsequent protests as two distinct acts.
AS and Cadena SER report that Madrid will now take the case to Spain’s Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte (TAD), seeking to overturn, reduce or temporarily suspend the punishment. The next reported appeal is therefore to the Spanish administrative sports tribunal, not the international Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Morientes: “Four matches is outrageous”
Fernando Morientes has criticised the severity of Vinícius’ punishment while accepting that the incident warranted a straight red card. Speaking on COPE’s El Partidazo, the former Madrid striker argued that a four-match absence was disproportionate.
“I’m absolutely outraged by Vinicius’s suspension. This is being treated like an assault,” Morientes said, comparing the incident with much more forceful challenges from previous decades.
“It’s a heated moment, a moment of tension. Two matches is more than enough, and four is an exaggeration. To elevate it to the level of assault… What assault are you even seeing? It’s a straight red card, no question about it, but four matches is outrageous.”
His criticism concerns the overall punishment. The disciplinary ruling, however, separates that total into two matches for the incident involving Saliba and two for the conduct towards the referee afterwards, rather than imposing four matches solely for the hair-pull.
Morientes also suggested the enforced absence could create opportunities elsewhere in Madrid’s attack.
“Every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes, these situations serve to give opportunities to players who are desperately calling for them.”
Bellingham celebrates 150 Madrid appearances
Jude Bellingham has reflected on reaching 150 appearances for Real Madrid, a milestone he achieved in Wednesday’s victory over Roma. After receiving a commemorative shirt, the midfielder spoke to Real Madrid TV about his pride in representing the club.
“I’m very happy and proud. It’s always a pleasure to play for this club, and I hope it will be for much longer,” Bellingham said.
“Real Madrid means a lot to me because it’s the biggest club in the world. It’s a great honor to play here and reach 150 games.”
Now in his fourth season at Madrid, Bellingham responded with humour to the suggestion that he was becoming one of the dressing room’s veterans.
“I’m 23 years old, if I’m a veteran… oh my god.” Real Madrid CF | Web Oficial
He also emphasized the work still required from the team, despite its ability to secure results in difficult matches.
“I’m enjoying my role in the team and hopefully we can improve and win titles,” he said. “Sometimes there are slightly tougher games, but we’ve won almost all of them. We need to keep working and improving.”
García Plaza praises Mourinho and discusses Sevilla’s own refereeing complaints
Luis García Plaza has praised Mourinho ahead of Sevilla’s visit to the Bernabéu on Sunday, highlighting both his record and the character he instils in his teams. The Sevilla coach pointed to the reception Mourinho received in Rome and Madrid’s subsequent comeback as examples of his continuing influence.
“His track record speaks for itself. The other day he went to Rome and the locals chanted his name and held up a banner. He’s one of the best coaches in the world now and has been for years. We’ve been playing against each other for a long time and I have a very good relationship with him,” García Plaza said.
“I hope to greet him as always and talk a little about football, which we always do. He’s a guy who instils a lot of character in his teams; they compete fiercely and give it their all, and I think that’s evident in this Real Madrid side. The comeback the other day was partly due to his character.”
“We felt wronged the other day”
Asked about refereeing controversies, García Plaza declined to assess Vinícius’ conduct and instead highlighted incidents from Sevilla’s draw with Levante. His complaints included Isaac Romero’s dismissal, the challenge that left Miguel Sierra requiring surgery, and the circumstances surrounding a booking for Andrés Castrín.
“With the utmost respect and humility, we felt wronged the other day: Isaac’s sending-off, the incident in which Miguel was seriously injured, and that play where the fourth official made a mistake by allowing a player to enter the field and Castrín received a yellow card, which hampered his performance throughout the second half.”
García Plaza also questioned the amount of added time in Sevilla’s matches, while stressing that criticism should remain respectful and acknowledging that coaches, players and referees all make mistakes.
“I don’t comment on what Real Madrid does with its television coverage; that’s their decision. I speak for myself, and referees will always find a coach who tries to help them, but who also focuses on the football at some point. We play 11 against 11; they are very good, and we’ll see if we can overcome them,” he said.
Barcelona matchday workers announce strike across Clásico weekend
Barcelona’s matchday workers on permanent seasonal contracts have announced a strike spanning the weekend of the Clásico. The action is scheduled to begin at midnight on October 23 and continue until 6 a.m. on October 26, covering Madrid’s visit to Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, October 25.
The employees perform duties including stadium access and supporter assistance. Their committee alleges contractual irregularities, breaches of agreements, unequal treatment and a shrinking workforce while services are increasingly outsourced.
“We denounce the breach of agreements, contractual irregularities, discrimination between male and female employees of the same club, violations of the collective bargaining agreement, and a progressive reduction in our workforce, while various services are being outsourced,” the committee stated.
“We warn that this situation is making services more precarious, reducing our capacity to respond to incidents, and harming the service provided to members and fans.”
The committee says the workforce currently comprises 60 employees, compared with the 90 to 95 it considers necessary. The announced action also covers fixtures involving Barcelona’s women’s football, basketball and handball teams.
Further negotiations are expected. Barcelona sources have told the Spanish press that matchday activity will continue, and the club remains confident the Clásico will proceed normally. The strike announcement is not a confirmation that the match will be postponed.
Madrid retain their place on LaLiga’s Delegate Commission
LaLiga has confirmed that Real Madrid will remain on its Delegate Commission, with Barcelona also among the six First Division clubs appointed to the body. The other four are Sevilla, Real Betis, Deportivo Alavés and Villarreal.
Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, Atlético Madrid’s chief executive, continues as LaLiga’s first vice-president, while Ion Ander Ulazia, an Eibar director, takes the second vice-presidency. LaLiga said both appointments were made without a vote because only one candidate stood for each position.
The six First Division representatives were also appointed without a ballot because the number of candidates matched the available places. The election of the Second Division representatives remains pending, with more candidates than vacancies.
The commission handles significant strategic and regulatory matters within LaLiga. AS reports that Madrid’s representation will continue through deputy general manager Begoña Sanz, rather than Pérez himself.
Managing Madrid Podcast: Breaking down the comeback in Rome
Kiyan Sobhani and Sam Sharpe analyse Real Madrid’s 4–3 victory over Roma on the latest episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, examining both the dramatic finish and the problems that preceded it.
The discussion covers Mourinho’s starting lineup, Madrid’s difficulties moving the ball forward, the Fede Valverde–Aurélien Tchouaméni double pivot, and the substitutes who changed the match. Kiyan and Sam also assess the contributions of Endrick and Carlos Espí, discuss Mourinho’s post-match comments, and explain why they believe the initial setup should not be repeated. Apple Podcasts.
