LaLiga chief Javier Tebas faces tribunal after drawing comparison between Real Madrid and Nazi propaganda

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has been referred to Spain's sports tribunal by the National Sports Council (CSD) over comments in which he compared Real Madrid's communication strategy to Nazi propaganda.

The referral, made public by the CSD, asks the tribunal to consider whether the remarks breached rules protecting sporting dignity and decorum.

Sanctions available for such infractions range from warnings to fines, and can extend to suspension.

Tebas made the comparison on Friday in posts on social media. Real responded by releasing a statement calling for the immediate resignation of the 64-year-old he accused the club of employing techniques used by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

The club statement read: “The repeated conduct of Javier Tebas shows a lack of neutrality, respect and impartiality incompatible with his institutional responsibilities.

Real Madrid issued a furious response (Getty)

“Real Madrid CF considers it absolutely intolerable and extraordinarily serious that someone who occupies two positions of utmost responsibility in Spanish football should resort to a comparison with the propaganda methods of the Nazi regime to discredit our club, its management and its television.

“His constant attacks on Real Madrid and those who demand transparency and regeneration constitute, in the opinion of our club, a real scourge for Spanish football.”

The LaLiga chief has insisted he was drawing a parallel not with the ideology of Real or their supporters but solely with the club's propaganda techniques.

On Thursday, the CSD said it had raised the issue with the sports tribunal.

The CSD asked the sports tribunal to assess whether Tebas' statements were a "potential violation of Article 76.4.b of Law 10/1990 on Sport, which classifies 'notorious and public acts that infringe upon sporting dignity or decorum' as serious infractions."

Tebas returned to social media shortly after the referral became public, repeating his distinction between ideology and propaganda techniques in his Friday comparison.

He also suggested the CSD could point to Real's questioning of LaLiga's integrity as grounds for a referral of its own.

"Defending the competition also requires responding to those who constantly discredit it," wrote Tebas. "It's part of my responsibility. And I'm going to keep exercising it."