Real Madrid demand Tebas resign over Goebbels comparison

Real Madrid have called for the “immediate resignation” of La Liga president Javier Tebas after he drew comparisons between the club’s management and Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

Tebas said Real Madrid’s communication and the use of its in-house TV channel “recalls propaganda mechanisms exploited by Goebbels”.

Real Madrid have called the statement “deeply offensive” and “morally repugnant”.

The club have also demanded Tebas steps down as both the head of the Spanish top flight and vice-president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF).

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

In a lengthy post published on X on Friday, Tebas said: “Real Madrid’s management directs an orchestra of mouthpieces and Real Madrid TV leads the singing.

“Their score is always the same: select the plays that suit them, repeat the grievance, feed the suspicion, and point fingers at the enemies.

“That method recalls propaganda mechanisms exploited by Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s minister of propaganda: systematic repetition, construction of an enemy, and subordination of facts to the narrative.”

Tebas later said he was drawing comparison with “those propaganda techniques” and “not with an ideology”.

Real Madrid rejected this clarification, saying it did not mitigate the “institutionally unworthy nature of his statements”.

The club added: “These statements constitute yet another episode in the repeated attacks by Javier Tebas against Real Madrid, its president and its media outlets.”

Last month, Tebas criticised Real Madrid for claiming there was a refereeing conspiracy against the club.

He also has been critical of Real and its president Florentino Perez in previous years after disagreeing with their plans to join a European Super League in 2021.

In 2025 he said Real had “lost their head” after the club sent a formal letter of complaint to the Spanish FA about officiating in the league.

Barnsley bring in striker Adeyemo

Barnsley have signed former Watford striker Tobi Adeyemo on a one-year deal after a successful trial.

The 21-year-old came through the Hornets’ academy and scored on his league debut for the club against Blackpool in January 2023.

He ended last season on loan at Crawley, where he scored one goal in 12 League Two appearances.

Adeyemo could make his debut for Daniel Stendel’s men in Saturday’s home game against Cambridge United in League One.

Barnsley have the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

Getafe make offer to sign free agent Sancho

Jadon Sancho scored his only goal during his loan spell at Aston Villa against Fenerbahce in the Europa League last season.

Getafe have made a formal offer to sign former Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho.

The 26-year-old winger is out of contract after his deal expired in the summer and has been exploring a number of options.

An agreement is said to be complicated but Spanish side Getafe, who are 14th in La Liga and playing in the Europa Conference League this season, are keen to find a resolution.

Sancho, who cost United £73m when he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, is said to favour a move away from England but remains open to all options.

Earlier this week ex-Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal, who had been without a club since his deal at the Bernabeu expired in June, joined Getafe on a free transfer.

The 34-year-old Spain right-back, who won 27 trophies with Madrid, including six Champions League titles, has signed a contract until June 2027.

Sancho spent last season on loan at Aston Villa, making 39 appearances as Unai Emery’s team achieved Champions League qualification and Europa League success, coming on as a late substitute in the victory over Freiburg, his third European final in three seasons.

He also had loan spells with Dortmund and Chelsea during his five years at United.

His move to Stamford Bridge in the 2024-25 campaign included an obligation to buy. However, Chelsea paid a £5m penalty to send Sancho back to Old Trafford after he made 41 appearances.

Sancho has been posting training videos to his Instagram account while he continues his search for a new team, including his visit to non-league side Flixton, who had to clarify that the former England international was not on trial with the North West Counties club.

Martinez apologises for outburst and fined by Man Utd

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has issued an apology following his controversial remarks criticising the club’s hierarchy.

After United’s Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, Martinez said the club had left head coach Michael Carrick with an under-equipped squad.

Following talks with United on Thursday, the Argentina centre-back released a statement.

“Today I met with the club’s leadership and the manager,” Martinez said in a social media post.

“It was a very positive conversation, where we were able to exchange views and speak openly about what happened after Tuesday’s game.

“Everyone knows that I am a passionate person and that I live football with great intensity.

“The frustration of the defeat led me to express how I felt at a time and place that perhaps were not the right ones, and for that I want to apologise.”

It is understood Martinez has been formally punished for his outburst with a fine.

Carrick will hold a news conference on Friday, prior to the game against Leeds United on Sunday.

He takes his side to Elland Road on the back of just two wins from nine games this season, placed 13th in the Premier League with six points from as many games.

Following the loss to Atletico, Martinez said he expected more investment in the Manchester United squad and “more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]”.

The 28-year-old later said he “spoke out of anger and frustration” in making those comments and that he had “belief in my team-mates, our manager and everyone working to help this club move forward”.

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, speaking on The Overlap podcast, described the situation at his former club as “a bit of a circus”.

Martinez’s statement on Thursday added: “Our club is at its best when we are all united, and I recognise that my words in that moment did not help with that.

“I know that every single person at Manchester United is doing everything possible to achieve our shared ambition: bringing the success that this club and its supporters deserve.

“With this situation now behind us, we are fully focused on winning together.”

It remains to be seen whether Carrick selects Martinez for the trip to Leeds.

Nevertheless, there is understood to be significant doubt over his long-term future at Old Trafford.

His current deal expires at the end of the season but the club have the option of extending it by 12 months.

While the issue over his recent comments is now considered closed, the club are still to decide whether they want to trigger the contract option.

Moore's Germany move inspired by Sancho and Bellingham

Moore is Tottenham’s youngest-ever Premier League player, having made his debut for the club’s senior side at just 16 years old.

Tottenham’s Mikey Moore says the success of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham in the Bundesliga influenced his decision to join Cologne on loan.

The 19-year-old became the latest English talent to move to the German top flight after completing a season-long loan move to the RheinEnergieStadion last month.

Moore’s move came almost a decade after a 17-year-old Sancho left Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund.

During his time in Germany, Sancho established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting wingers, making more than 150 appearances for Dortmund and helping the club win the DFB-Pokal in 2021. He subsequently secured a £73m move to Manchester United.

Bellingham followed a similar path in 2020, leaving boyhood club Birmingham City to join Dortmund. The midfielder quickly developed into one of the most sought-after players in world football before joining Real Madrid for an initial £88.5m in 2023.

Speaking on Thursday’s Euro Leagues podcast - which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live at 21:00 BST - before Friday’s Bundesliga match with Eintracht Frankfurt, Moore revealed that the success of his fellow Englishmen had inspired him to turn down offers from England in favour of a move to Germany.

“I think over the years you’ve seen so many young players come out here, and there are some really good examples of world-class players like Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho doing really well,” Moore said.

“It’s a really attractive place to play football, especially for a young attacker. It’s a great platform to play, and that was sold to me by the people at the club and the manager.

“They’ve put real trust in me, and the amount of game time I’ve played so quickly in my Koln [Cologne] career has been nice. It’s been good to have that trust from all the staff and people at the club.

“I’m already happy with my decision. Now I can really kick on, make my own story and build my own path in German football.”

Although Moore only turned 19 in August, he is no stranger to stepping outside his comfort zone.

Last season, he made 47 appearances in all competitions, including the Champions League qualifying rounds, during a loan spell at Scottish Premiership side Rangers.

It was the first time Moore had left his boyhood club Tottenham, and he rose to the challenge, scoring six goals and providing two assists in 28 Scottish Premiership appearances.

The experience offered a different test to the one he now faces in Germany, but it provided valuable exposure to the demands of first-team football.

“I had options to stay in England and maybe stay somewhere a little more comfortable,” Moore said.

“But the conversations came down to me picking a team, and I wanted to take myself a little bit out of my comfort zone to test myself in a big league and one of the top five leagues.

“When we were speaking, everyone said they thought it would be a really good experience for me to experience this type of football.

“It’s really intense, and there are some great teams in the league.

“For me, it was a no-brainer. I made the decision early that I wanted to come out here, and now I just need to push on.”

It has been a whirlwind few weeks for Moore since moving to Cologne on transfer deadline day.

Having now found an apartment close to fellow England youth internationals Reigan Heskey and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who also joined the club this summer, the 19-year-old has turned his attention to learning German.

Moore had his first lesson this week and, at his mother’s request, is hoping to expand his vocabulary in the language over the coming weeks.

“I wasn’t the brightest at school, so I might take a while to learn the language,” Moore joked. “But I think the more hours I put in, I’ll pick it up at some point anyway.

“At least I’ll be able to learn a few words so I can order my food or something in German.”

Fortunately for the attacker, he will not have to rely solely on his German when Cologne travel to face Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich next month.

The fixture will also give him the chance to reunite with Harry Kane, who was still at Tottenham when Moore was first invited to train with the senior squad during the 2021-22 season.

“He’s been a massive idol of mine since I was really young. When I first went up to train with the first team under Antonio Conte, Harry Kane was over there, and I’d seen some finishing that I’d never seen anything like again,” Moore recalled.

“It will be a great experience to play against him and share a pitch with him. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Almost a decade after Sancho’s move to the Bundesliga, it is Kane now flying the flag for England in Germany’s top flight. Moore, meanwhile, is hoping to leave the Allianz Arena with a special memento of his own.

“I’ll try my best to get my hands on that shirt,” Moore said. “I saw him on the last international break, actually, and went and said hello. If I see him on the next one, if we’re in the same place, I’m definitely going to say to him, ‘Give me that shirt when we next play.’

“Hopefully, I’ll be coming back to Koln with that in my hand.”