FIFA and UEFA have warned that at this time “the protection and institutional stability” of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) must be prioritized and that “all parties must work together in the best interests of Spanish football.”
The two organizations made a joint statement after meeting this Thursday with the RFEF, which has been going through a complex moment for several months, without an elected president after the departure of Luis Rubiales, disqualified by FIFA for three years for his kiss with Jenni Hermoso after the final of the Women’s World Cup, and with everything that has happened with ‘Operation Brody’, which investigates an alleged corruption plot within the RFEF.
“FIFA and UEFA have been closely following with great concern the recent events in the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF),” stressed the two associations, who met this Thursday with members of the RFEF “to discuss the situation of the federation.”
In this sense, all parties “agreed that the protection and institutional stability of the RFEF must be prioritized.” “It was emphasized that all parties must work together in the best interests of Spanish football, including finding a solution to ensure the timely election of a new president of the RFEF,” they stressed.
“FIFA and UEFA will continue to support and work closely with their member federations at this critical moment for the RFEF,” stated the two entities regarding the current situation in the national body, still without having been able to name a new president despite having initiated a electoral process at the beginning of April, which is encountering new obstacles from the Sports Administrative Tribunal (TAD).
Last Monday, this body notified the Higher Sports Council of the opening of a file against Pedro Rocha, who had been in charge of the RFEF Management Commission since the departure of Rubiales, for having exceeded his duties following a complaint filed by the president of Cenafe, Miguel Galán.
The president of the CSD, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, assured that he would immediately convene the Board of Directors “to study the resolution and to make a coherent decision, in accordance with that classification of the facts,” while the RFEF came out in defense of Rocha, stating that the Management Commission acted “in accordance with the law and in the exercise of its powers” and regretting that it was not able to “conclude” its electoral process due to “multiple external interferences.” Rocha, for his part, warned that he was going to challenge the TAD ruling as “completely surprising and alien to all logic and legal sense.”