On Thursday, news broke that Spain’s government, via an independent committee, will monitor the country’s football federation (RFEF) in the coming months to deal with all the scandals of recent years.
The most high-profile scandal was when then-chairman Luis Rubiales kissed the country’s newly minted World Cup gold medalist Jennifer Hermoso, against her will, on the mouth after the final in Australia last summer.
Rubiales – who has since been charged with sexual assault and unlawful coercion against Hermoso – eventually resigned and Pedro Rocha took over as acting chairman.
During Friday the 69-year-old was elected as the new regular chairman. This despite the fact that Rocha, who was previously vice-chairman, like Rubiales, is suspected of involvement in a corruption scandal linked to the union.
After the announcement that the government will monitor the federation, Fifa (International Football Federation) and Uefa (European Football Confederation) have expressed great concern about the situation in the RFEF.
Spain is expected to host the men’s World Cup in 2030 together with Portugal and Morocco. The countries’ bids are the only ones that have been submitted and Fifa will formally make a decision on the hosting at the end of 2024.
Tags: Suspected corruption federal base Spain
