“The RFEF Assembly could have endorsed the clamor of Spanish society”

2023-08-26 11:10:47

MADRID, 26 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The acting Minister of Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta, stated this Friday that “the Assembly itself” of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) “could have endorsed the clamor of Spanish society”, thus criticizing the complicity of the assembly members after Luis Rubiales announced his continuity as president of the RFEF.

“I want to draw attention to a fact that seemed especially serious to us. The president of the Spanish Football Federation himself could have assumed responsibilities. The Assembly itself could have endorsed the cry of Spanish society; the cry of our athletes, of those women who won the biggest title to which one can aspire and whose triumph was somehow marred by an incident that should never have occurred,” Iceta said in a video released by his press department.

“We are facing serious events, an unacceptable action that deserved the condemnation of the Government from the outset and a demand for explanations and excuses that have not been produced. Neither the president of the Spanish Football Federation nor the Extraordinary Assembly have proceeded to what that it was obvious and a very majority demand of Spanish society: to declare itself incompatible with any sign of machismo, with any injury to the rights of women and with any prejudice to equality between men and women and the promotion of women in sport added the Minister of Culture.

In this sense, the Government has filed a complaint before the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) describing Rubiales’ actions as “very serious”, who has not resigned despite his kiss on the lips of Jenni Hermoso and despite certain obscene gestures she did during the final of the recent Women’s World Cup. “If the Court upholds this complaint and begins to process this file, we will be able to request the provisional suspension of the position of the president of the RFEF,” Iceta explained.

“We all have to know that our procedures are absolutely scrupulous, democratic and transparent. It is not a question here of the Government making and undoing its whim in a sports federation. But it is a question of the Government complying with its obligation to watch over the rights of all and of all. And therefore, as we understand that sports legislation has been violated in a very serious way, we went to the TAD”, argued the minister.

“It will be up to the Court to decide if we are right in the approach we are making and, therefore, the path is open to a suspension of the president of the Spanish Football Federation and the initiation of a file that will end with a resolution,” Iceta continued in his speech.

“I do not want to minimize the negative effect on the image of our sport in Spain and in the world caused by this incident which, as I have repeated, should never have occurred. That is why, in the absence of a reaction from the president of the RFEF and the RFEF Assembly itself, the Government urges an action that the Government does not direct, let it be clear”, stressed the minister.

Iceta pointed out that he will request the TAD “an action as quickly as possible”. “But the Government there does not decide the deadlines or decide the result. What we can tell you is that, if the TAD considers that it is worth investigating those events described by us as ‘very serious’, it could immediately be produced by the Superior Council of Sports that suspension in his functions of the president of the RFEF until there is a final resolution by the TAD”, he insisted.

“We are very sorry. A society like the Spanish one, which has forcefully taken the flag of equality, the flag of the equal dignity of people and the flag of promoting the presence of women in sport, cannot attend impassive to the violation of those rights and of that image that women’s sport should have”, he valued.

“We will follow the procedures very carefully and we will try to shorten them as much as possible so that Spanish society can find an answer. It is true that we all sometimes want more immediate, more summary actions; but I must tell you that the incident that causes this process took place on a Sunday and on Friday, in the absence of a response from the president of the RFEF and from the RFEF itself, the Government takes action on the matter and using its powers,” Iceta declared.

“According to the Sports Law and our procedures, this is set in motion, which can culminate in exceptionally harsh sanctions. We hope that the procedure does not drag on and that the public can rest easy, in the sense that they live in a country where that rights and freedoms are respected and in which the flag of equality between men and women is never lowered,” concluded Iceta.