José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), sent on Thursday to FIFA and UEFA the resolution in which he formalizes the creation of the Normalization, Representation and Supervision Committee chaired by Vicente del Bosque to protect Real Spanish Football Federation. One of the main tasks of this body created by the Government of Pedro Sánchez is to prevent the current federation president, Pedro Rocha, from representing Spanish football in the boxes of major international events such as the Euro Cup or the Paris Olympic Games. Three weeks ago, FIFA and UEFA warned by letter to the CSD about possible interference that could jeopardize the participation of the Spanish national team and clubs in international competitions and the organization of the 2030 World Cup together with Portugal and Morocco. Rodríguez Uribes responded with another letter in which he asserted the sovereignty of the Spanish state and in which he criticized the functioning of the federation.
The intention of the CSD is that next Saturday, June 25, on the occasion of the Champions League final that will be played in San Mamés between Barcelona and Lyon, it will be Del Bosque who will represent it. Ministerial sources assure that while Rocha is still pending the resolution of the file opened by the Sports Administrative Court (TAD) for very serious misconduct by having exceeded his duties, he should not represent Spanish football. Rocha is also affected by being charged in Operation Brodie related to the investigation being followed by Judge Delia Rodrigo related to alleged irregular contracts of the RFEF in the last five years.
The CSD ensures that the resolution signed by Rodríguez Uribes is limited in time, until elections are held in the RFEF after the Paris Games, and that it takes into account UEFA’s own federation and FIFA regulations. It remains to be seen if Rocha accepts the resolution, as well as both international organizations. These days Rocha has been at the 74th FIFA Congress held in Bangkok. The federation has taken care to highlight Rocha’s representation by publishing images of the Extremaduran leader along with Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, and Alexander Ceferin, bosses of UEFA.
According to the CSD, the resolution is proportionate and is based on the general interest of Spain at a decisive moment, so there would be no unjustified interference in the protection of the federation with the commission created. Next July, the 2030 World Cup bid dossier will be sent to FIFA with the possible venues that Morocco, Portugal and Spain will present. The coming months, therefore, will be crucial for the internal distribution and distribution of roles, parties and influence of the three countries participating in the joint candidacy.
The resolution, headed with a presentation of the serious events that have shaken the federation since the scandal over Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss to Jennifer Hermoso, also specifies that it will be made up of three members, or five if UEFA and FIFA accept the invitation of the Spanish Government to participate in the commission created. This will monitor these issues through biweekly meetings.
Among the functions of the commission are representation, in events related to Spain’s candidacy for the organization of the 2030 Soccer World Cup, as well as in high-level international and national soccer events held during the validity of the resolution; and supervision, contributing to the monitoring and advice of issues that may affect the general interest and specifically those related to the actions related to Spain’s candidacy for the 2030 World Cup.
Rodríguez Uribes supports his resolution in that it is proportionate and defends the general interest of Spain at such a decisive moment for Spanish football. In the letter sent to UEFA and FIFA, the importance that football has in Spanish and world society is highlighted. In Spain, football represents almost 30% of sports licenses. As an example of the international impact of football, the events that occurred in the final of the Women’s World Cup in Australia in August 2023 are mentioned, collected in the recent annual report of March 25, 2024 from the United States on human rights. This is one of the arguments, according to the CSD, why the Uribes resolution is related to the idea that sport is a matter of public interest and its safeguarding is sufficient motivation for the adoption of these exceptional, proportionate and temporarily limited.
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