Spanish Government Considers Suspending RFEF’s Top Candidate Amid Corruption Allegations

On Tuesday, the Spanish government announced its intention to consider suspending the leading candidate to head the country’s football federation (RFEF) while collaborating with FIFA to address corruption within the organization.

Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes, head of the state-controlled Superior Council of Sport (CSD), revealed during a parliamentary session that he had convened a meeting of the CSD board. This action followed the initiation of a case by Spain’s sports tribunal TAD against Pedro Rocha and the RFEF’s top officials for alleged “very serious misconduct,” as well as a separate investigation by a criminal court judge into suspected corruption within the federation.

“I have conveyed to (FIFA) our concern and our determination to take every measure to ensure that a reputational crisis such as this can never happen again,” Uribes said in the hearing.

As Spain prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup, the country is aiming to leave behind a series of scandals that have plagued the RFEF. Pedro Rocha, who had been serving as the interim president of the RFEF and was seeking to be officially appointed next month, recently became the subject of a judge’s investigation after providing testimony in court. He was the only contender to replace the disgraced former leader Luis Rubiales.

In a statement, the RFEF clarified that the TAD case does not pertain to the ongoing corruption inquiry but rather focuses on whether the federation exceeded its responsibilities following Rubiales’ resignation.

“All decisions have been taken with the utmost caution and respect, given the interim situation in which the institution found itself,” it said.

The leadership of the RFEF criticized the TAD proceedings, citing a lack of accuracy and rigor, and indicated that they may pursue legal action in response.

Since June 2022, Luis Rubiales and his associates have been under investigation for potential misconduct related to a deal with Gerard Pique’s Kosmos firm to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia in a deal valued at around 120 million euros ($129 million). Pedro Rocha, who served as the vice president of the Federation under Rubiales and was in charge of the financial board at the time of the Saudi Super Cup agreement, has been implicated in the investigation.

A statement from Rocha’s office asserted that the discrepancies in the TAD’s case would be contested. “The accusation, which is surprising and defies all logic and legal sense, is that he has exceeded the powers conferred on him about a series of decisions that he had to take as acting president for the good of the game,” his office said.

In the previous month, law enforcement searched the RFEF, leading to the dismissal of two executives. This development prompted FIFA and UEFA to seek a comprehensive update on the corruption investigation.

Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes stated that the government is actively engaged in amending its sports legislation, establishing a sanctioning framework, appointing an ethics committee, and naming an ombudsman to advocate for the rights of athletes.