The Spanish government on Thursday set up a special commission to oversee the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as it investigates a multi-million corruption scheme.
According to the National Sports Council (CSD), the Commission for Supervision, Standardization and Representation will be responsible for activities at the RFEF until new elections for federation leaders take place. The step was taken “in response to the crisis in the organization and in defense of the general interest of Spain,” the CSD said in a statement: according to Reuters.
The corruption allegations date back to the term of Luis Rubiales, the disgraced ex-RFEF president who led the federation from 2018 to 2013, when he was ousted for corruption. forcibly kissing player Jenni Hermoso during the Women’s World Cup trophy ceremony. Rubiales has been banned by FIFA since the event and faces further criminal charges in Spain.
The case centers on Rubiales’ updates to the Spanish Super Cup in 2020, when it went from a two-team competition to a four-team tournament and was hosted in Saudi Arabia. The deal to move the Super Cup to the Middle East was reportedly worth $42 million at the time. according to the Associated Press.
Rubiales was arrested and questioned by authorities in connection with the case earlier this month, and one of his properties was also raided beforehand. Ten other buildings, including the RFEF offices, were also raided and seven arrests were made.
Among the others under official investigation is Pedro Rocha, the acting president of the RFEF, who hoped to get the job full-time after the election. A judge investigated him earlier this month, but he denies any involvement, saying he had “no knowledge, and therefore no responsibility, for the facts under investigation.”
FIFA and UEFA issued a joint statement on Thursday acknowledging the situation.
“FIFA and UEFA are monitoring the situation surrounding RFEF with great concern,” they said. “FIFA and UEFA will seek additional information to assess the extent to which the CSD’s appointment of the so-called ‘Committee for Oversight, Standardization and Representation’ may affect the RFEF’s obligation to conduct its affairs independently and without undue government interference to manage.”
Spain will be one of the hosts of the 2030 World Cup, which will celebrate the tournament’s 100-year history.
