2023-08-23 08:00:14
Former First Division referee Xavier Estrada Fernández has denounced the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, for sexual violence after the intolerable spectacle that the leader offered in the World Cup final between Spain and England, kissing Jennifer Beautiful at the medal ceremony or touching their genitals in the box of authorities at the conclusion of the match.
This is the second complaint that Rubiales has received, of the three that -so far- have been filed. The first, presented by Miguel Galandirector of the CENAFE training center for coaches, is already in the hands of the Higher Sports Council (CSD) and this Tuesday the political party Sumar has also sued the ‘boss’ of the highest federation organization chart.
“Inadmissible and embarrassing forced kiss.” Estrada Fernández has not hesitated to take a step forward and demand that the Federation apply the action protocol against sexual violence in addition to the immediate resignation of Rubiales. “This behavior is unacceptable for a president of the RFEF, who has to maintain at all times the utmost respect and decorum towards the institution he represents, as well as in relation to a player subject to the discipline of the RFEF, in respect of which he has exercised an evident abuse of authority, inadmissible in our legal system” he states in the complaint document to which EL PERIÓDICO has had access.
A ‘rare bird’ of arbitration
Referees are usually unknown to the general public as they usually keep a low profile, but Estrada Fernández is one of those referees who has managed to break through the usual anonymity of the position, and not for spending 12 seasons refereeing in the First Division and 2 more in the VAR or for the recognition of the footballers who came to make an emotional corridor in his last game as a braid. This man from Lleida, born in 1976 and graduated in Sports Psychology and Neuropsychology, has been able to swim against the current of Spanish refereeing, denouncing everything that seemed unfair without fear of consequences.
After the explosion of the Negreira case, the entire arbitral establishment kept an overwhelming silence. Everyone except him filed a criminal complaint for corruption in sports against the former vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), José María Enríquez Negreira, and his son Javier Enríquez Romero. That courageous action had repercussions, from harsh criticism from many of his professional colleagues, to being left out of VAR designations for several matches.
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The reprisals did not stop there. A claim for Labor Rights against the RFEF caused an absolutely surreal situation: the Catalan referee was forced to perform VAR from a van parked in a parking lot and not with the rest of the referees in the ‘VOR Room’ located in the City of Las Rozas Soccer. Estrada Fernández assured in a note sent to the media that the RFEF wanted to “humiliate him in front of his teammates” in retaliation for having filed said lawsuit.
From VAR to politics: Councilor of ERC in Lleida
After a frustrated attempt to enter the Catalan Football Federation, where he was part of the candidacies of Juanjo Isern and Álex Talavera, but Joan Soteras finally won in a controversial election marked by alleged irregularities. The collegiate became the star signing of Esquerra Republicana in the face of the municipal elections of Lleida on May 28 where the republican formation intended to revalidate the mayoralty of the capital of Segre. ERC was defeated by the PSC and Estrada Fernández was unable to achieve the goal of being Sports Councilor for his city, although he maintains the position of councilor in the Lleida City Council.
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