Spain refers Tebas’s Real Madrid remarks to sports tribunal

Spain’s National Sports Council referred La Liga president Javier Tebas’s remarks about Real Madrid to the Administrative Court for Sport on October 22, asking the tribunal to assess whether they could constitute a serious offence under the country’s sports law. The referral is not a ruling, and the tribunal has not determined whether Tebas breached the rules or should face disciplinary action. The council said the case concerns comments Tebas made on October 16 on social media. He compared communication methods used by Real Madrid with propaganda techniques associated with Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister. Tebas has said he was referring to the techniques, not Nazi ideology. The tribunal is being asked to consider whether the remarks could fall under Article 76.4.b of Spain’s 1990 Sports Law, which identifies notorious and public acts that harm sporting dignity or decorum as serious offences. Reported potential sanctions include warnings, fines or suspension. No sanction has been imposed, and the referral does not establish that disciplinary proceedings will follow. The dispute followed Tebas’s criticism of Real Madrid’s efforts to challenge refereeing in...