2023-10-18 10:15:37
Next Sunday marks two months since Pedro Sánchez received the world football champions at the Moncloa, a meeting in which the until then president of the Spanish Football Federation was also present, Luis Rubialesand the top leader of the Higher Sports Council, Víctor Francos.
After that reception, the acting President of the Government made the roadmap very clear regarding Luis Rubiales and the scandal over his non-consensual kiss to Jenni Hermoso during the world champion medal ceremony in Sydney: “Rubiales’ apologies are neither sufficient nor adequate. He must take more steps”. Sánchez thus distanced himself from Rubiales with whom, until the scandal, he maintained a correct relationship.
The Government enters the scene
The step that Sánchez requested was taken by Rubiales 19 days later, resigning as president of the RFEF on the night of Sunday, September 10. However, the one from Motril before that dismissed all his vice presidents except one, Pedro Rocha from Extremadura, to whom he gave up the presidential chair. Today Rocha remains president of the Management Company, until the Federation elections are called.which the Government wants to be held as soon as possible within the first half of 2024, the Olympic year.
Since last September 20, when Víctor Francos, president of the CSD, committed himself to the players in the meeting they held until the early hours of the morning in Oliva, the Government has intervened so that the “changes” could take place. that the soccer players demanded. Rubiales’ departure has been followed by those of the women’s coach Jorge Vilda, the general secretary of the RFEF, Andrew Fieldsthat of the director of the Integrity department Miguel García Cabathat of the communications director Pablo García Cuervo…
And while the CSD continues working to fulfill everything promised to the players, the scenario of elections in which there is a lot at stake is taking shape in parallel. While it is questioned whether Pedro Rocha will finally present his candidacysomething that the Extremaduran has not made clear, uncertainty remains among the presidents of the territorial federations, where in addition to the Extremaduran, two other names are being considered as ‘candidates’: Salvador Gomarfrom the Valencian, and Paco Diez, from Madrid. Although none of the three have made a move yet and they are not expected to do so before the date of the elections for the presidency of the RFEF is made public.
Garcia Silvero, Matthew Lahoz, Casillas.
A chess game with many interests in the football scene in which several power ‘lobbies’ appear such as that of the territorial presidents, the arbitration team, Javier Tebas and an employer that has lived at war with Rubialesclubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona affected by the Negreira case and its relationship with the Federation’s Arbitration Committee…
Among the names that have begun to be included in football pools, those of Emily Garcia Silverresponsible for Integrity at FIFA (Legal & Compliance) and until now unrelated to the RFEF elections, and that of former referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who could lead a consensus candidacy.
The names of the former footballer have also been shuffled Iker Casillaswho already participated in the previous election and ended up retiring, the executive Mateu Alemanywho has been linked to Atlético de Madrid in recent days, and the former player Fernando Sanz. None has taken a step forward announcing their candidacy.
While the Government, which advocates promoting “a true restructuring of Spanish football”I would not take a bad view of a candidacy for the presidency of the RFEF led by a woman, despite the fact that since the executive has insisted that they will not intervene in the election process.
Irene Lozano, knowledgeable about the football environment
There are well-known names of women who have already occupied management positions in the field of sports with the Pedro Sánchez Government. But the one that sounds loudest in the football circles is that of Irene Lozanowho was president of the Higher Sports Council between January 30, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
Lozano has a proven experience in sports and even more so in football, where he successfully promoted the ‘Pacts of Viana’, agreements signed by Luis Rubiales, as president of the RFEF, and Javier Tebas, as president of LaLiga, after an eight-hour meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Lozano reached the agreement and the photo with the two after an arduous negotiation that brought a few months of peace in football and rescued Olympic and Paralympic sports.
Furthermore, recently Lozano revealed in the microphones of the SER chain who once confronted Rubiales and expelled him from his office after the one from Motril disqualified some of his assistants. The former president of the CSD, who is currently director of the Arab House, knows perfectly well the football environment he would face. In fact, his name also appears in the pools as a possible Commissioner of the 2030 World Cupwhich will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The profiles of Ana Muñoz and Elvira Andrés
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Another name that appears on this unofficial list is that of Ana Muñozwho was director of the Spanish Agency for Health Protection in Sports (previously known as the Anti-Doping Agency), general director of the CSD during the Miguel Cardenal era, and vice president of the RFEF and head of the Integrity Department during the Luis Rubiales administration, until she resigned after a year and a half due to her opposition to the ways in which the Federation was managed. The third name is Elvira Andres, lawyer and expert in sports law, and current director of the RFEF Presidency Cabinet.
For any candidacy to go ahead, it must achieve the consensus of the territorial presidents, who have a lot of weight in an assembly with 140 votes. The Government is working to achieve that “deep renovation” that Francos has warned that the institution and its structure need. Just what the footballers of the women’s team in Oliva asked of himbecause among the 140 assembly members who will vote for Rubiales’ replacement, only six women appear.
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