“I Didn't Call Anyone a Nazi”: Tebas Defends Comments on Real Madrid

Liga president Javier Tebas has refused to apologise to Real Madrid for comparing the club's communication strategy to that of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, and he says his words were misunderstood.

Tebas has also turned down calls to resign from his post. Madrid's bosses put out a strongly worded message demanding that he step down over the comparison, which sparked outrage. He says he did nothing wrong by criticising the television channel run by the club.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Tebas said he was only talking about how the channel gets its message across, and was not accusing anyone of holding political views. 

"I didn't call anyone a Nazi, of course," he said. "I was talking about a communication strategy. I don't see why I'm being held to account for that."

The row has grown to the point where people are asking if the government could step in. Tebas was asked if he feared a sanction from Spain's Higher Sports Council. He waved the idea away and said punishing him for giving an opinion would be unfair.

"That would seem unheard of to me," he said when pressed on the threat of sporting sanctions. "So there would be first and second-class citizens?"

The war of words has left things tense just days before Sunday's Clasico, when Madrid take on Barcelona. Before that, Madrid host RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Fans around the world will be watching the weekend game closely, but the fallout from this public feud looks set to run long after the final whistle.