The Catalan Green Party (ICV) said its lawmaker in the European Parliament, Raul Romeva, had presented a question to the parliamentary register after former Real Madrid coach Capello told Italy's La Repubblica newspaper on Tuesday that what he liked in Spain was "the order Franco left behind."

"Raul Romeva has denounced these declarations which constitute a 'regrettable apologia of fascism' and asks himself what would have happened if, instead of the fascist regime of Francisco Franco (1939-1975), Capello had praised Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini," ICV said in a statement.

Capello led Real to the Spanish league title in 1997 and his name has featured in the media as a possible replacement for interim coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, who replaced sacked Brazilian Vanderlei Luxemburgo two months ago.