Football: reasons why the Spanish Football Federation has been placed under government control

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, the Spanish government decided to place the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) under its supervision.

The announcement has stirred up a lot of controversy and discussion in this European country.

This decision was made following various scandals tarnishing the image of the Spanish Football Federation.

Indeed, the governing body of Spanish football has been shaken for several months by the scandal involving the forced kiss by its former president Luis Rubiales and the investigation into corruption.

Determined to put an end to this crisis shaking the institution in the best interests of the country, the current regime announced that it would place the federation under its supervision.

“The Spanish government has adopted this decision to rectify the serious situation in which the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) finds itself so that the entity can embark on a renewal phase in a climate of stability,” said the Higher Sports Council (CSD), an entity under the Spanish Ministry of Sports, on Thursday. Specifically, “a supervisory, normalization, and representation commission created by the CSD” and led by “independent personalities” will exercise “supervision over the RFEF in the coming months,” in the “interest of Spain,” a candidate for hosting the 2030 World Cup jointly with Portugal and Morocco, the statement adds.

As a reminder, Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed the World Cup champion, number 10 of the team, Jenni Hermoso in August 2023.

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, the Spanish prosecutor’s office requested two and a half years in prison for the former head of Spanish football for sexual assault.

A few months after this scandal, the RFEF is now at the center of a corruption investigation in which the former strongman of Spanish football and his interim successor at the helm of the Federation, Pedro Rocha, are under investigation.