Determined to put an end to the umpteenth crisis shaking the Spanish Football Federation, at the center of an investigation for corruption a few months after the forced kiss scandal, the government announced this Thursday its placement under supervision, ” in the interest ” from the country.
3 mins
The Spanish government justifies its decision to place the Football Federation under supervision because of the “ serious situation » in which the RFEF is located. The objective is to enable him to begin “ a stage of renewal in a climate of stability “, continues in its press release the Superior Sports Council (CSD), an organization dependent on the Ministry of Sports. This, in “ the interest of Spain », future organizer of the 2030 World Cup jointly with Portugal and Morocco.
Concretely, a supervision, standardization and representation commission created by the CSD and led by “ independent personalities » will exercise « the supervision of the RFEF during the coming months “. According to the Spanish press, former coach Vicente del Bosque, 2010 world champion, should be part of it.
The exact contours and prerogatives of this “mixed commission” nevertheless remain to be defined, because the sports federations must be independent of their governments. The RFEF, like the French Football Federation, responds to UEFA and Fifa, who alone can intervene in its internal affairs, as was the case when Fifa decided to suspend Luis Rubiales after he forcibly kissed world champion Jenni Hermoso last August.
Corruption investigation
Already shaken by this scandal, which led to the resignation of Rubiales and the dismissals of several leaders, the RFEF is now at the center of a corruption investigation in which the former strongman of Spanish football and his interim successor at the head of the Federation, Pedro Rocha, are indicted.
The Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) also estimated, in a recent report, that the former vice-president of Rubiales and his interim management had committed faults “ very serious » by making decisions that go beyond their skills. It is this report which led to the decision taken this Thursday, a few days before the presidential elections scheduled for May 6, for which Pedro Rocha is the only candidate. While the Spanish press mentioned a possible sanction against him, the latter should thus be able to be officially elected, but not be completely free in his choices, which will now be supervised.
This episode follows a new crisis triggered last month by resounding searches at the headquarters of the Federation, the Olympic stadium in Seville and the homes of Luis Rubiales in Granada and the Dominican Republic, as part of an investigation into corruption. This case concerns irregularities in the contracts signed by the RFEF over the last five years, during the presidency of Luis Rubiales, including the lucrative contract concluded to relocate the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Since 2020, the Saudi kingdom has hosted the semi-finals and the final of this competition for some 40 million euros per year, following an agreement in which the Kosmos company of former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué served of intermediary. In 2022, recordings of conversations between Luis Rubiales and Gerard Piqué were published by the press, in which the two men were heard talking about commissions of several million euros.
Already threatened with two and a half years in prison for sexual assault, the former Spanish football boss is accused in this case of money laundering, commercial corruption, unfair administration and membership in a criminal organization. He will have to appear in court on Monday.