Real Madrid Targets Juanma Castaño After ‘Gara’ Comparison Sparks Row

A public feud between Real Madrid and Juanma Castaño, host of Cadena COPE’s flagship late-night sports show *El Partidazo*, escalated after the club accused the journalist of biased coverage and published a video montage of his reporting. Castaño says Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez is pursuing a “personal crusade” against him.

The dispute began with a column Castaño wrote for Spanish national newspaper *ABC*, in which he compared the editorial line of Real Madrid TV (RMTV) to that of *Gara*, a Basque-language daily. Real Madrid condemned the comparison as “deplorable and inadmissible,” citing the newspaper’s historical associations with ETA.

Castaño later apologized on *El Partidazo de COPE* and said the comparison was inappropriate. He withdrew the reference to *Gara* but maintained his criticism of Real Madrid TV’s journalistic practices and editorial direction. The club and its television network rejected the apology.

*Gara* was established in 1999 to succeed *Egin*, which Spanish judicial authorities shut down because of financial and operational links to ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna). The violent Basque separatist group killed more than 820 people in a decades-long campaign of bombings and assassinations before declaring a permanent ceasefire in 2011 and officially dissolving in 2018.

After RMTV presenters rebutted Castaño on air, Real Madrid’s official social media channels posted a video detailing what the club described as a decade of biased and hostile reporting by the journalist on *El Partidazo de COPE*. The montage drew widespread attention in Spain, in a rare instance of a major global sports franchise using its main digital platforms to attack an individual journalist.

Castaño addressed the video on his next broadcast. “I have been sent videos and communiqués attacking me, but I will keep saying what I believe I have to say from an honest position,” he said. He said the campaign was stressful but would not influence his reporting, adding that such pressure “comes with the job” of hosting the country’s top-rated late-night sports show.

The confrontation has intensified longstanding friction between Real Madrid and Spanish sports journalists. Under Pérez, the billionaire chairman of construction firm ACS Group, the club has increasingly bypassed traditional media outlets in favor of its own digital and broadcast platforms to control its narrative.

RMTV has also faced criticism from rival clubs, La Liga officials and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) over programming that includes videos criticizing refereeing decisions before matches and implying systemic bias against Real Madrid. Sevilla FC filed formal complaints with the RFEF’s Competition Committee, alleging the broadcasts seek to pressure match officials and compromise the integrity of the competition. La Liga President Javier Tebas has said such content damages the reputation of Spanish football.

Castaño argued that Real Madrid’s stance toward him was intended to distract from the club’s sporting difficulties. Despite signing French star Kylian Mbappé in the summer, Real Madrid has struggled for consistency under manager Carlo Ancelotti and trails arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga. Barcelona widened the gap with a 4-0 El Clásico win at the Santiago Bernabéu.

“The club’s real problem is not me, but Barcelona sitting six points clear while playing well,” Castaño said, adding that his reporting had no bearing on the league table. He described Pérez as “the best president in the club’s history” because of his institutional and financial management, which secured six Champions League titles during Pérez’s second tenure. Castaño said that success did not exempt the club’s leadership from editorial scrutiny. “I will not change,” he said.