The decision of Luis Rubiales to entrench himself at the head of the Spanish Football Federation has caused surprise and anger within the Government. Stupefaction. If in the last hours a possible resignation gained strength, his speech in the Assembly of the football body has sown outrage. A few minutes after the end of the appointment in Las Rozas, the Government began proceedings against Rubiales, denouncing him before the Administrative Court of Sports (TAD) for a “very serious offense.” “Everything has been very strong,” admit government sources in relation to the staging and the words of the highest president of Spanish football. “They have not liked the forms or the background.”
The complaint, one of its own and prepared by the Government -none of the three that the CSD has received has been transferred- has been raised this Friday afternoon to the TAD. It is the mechanism of action that the Government has, since it cannot dismiss or remove Rubiales since the Federation is a private associative entity, although of public utility.
Víctor Francos, president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), has publicly asked the TAD, whose regular meeting is on Thursdays, to do so extraordinarily this Monday to decide as soon as possible whether to initiate a file because it appreciates a serious infringement of the law of sport. If it appreciates it, the CSD will then be able to convene its board of directors – it has to do so with 48 hours – and it will be at that appointment when the Government can suspend Rubiales, while the TAD path continues its course. Therefore, the Government hopes to have Rubiales out of the Federation next Wednesday.
As they have been recalling from Sumar in the last hours, this precautionary suspension of Rubiales’ functions would be done in application of article 62.2.c of the Sports Law. That article states that the CSD may adopt the following measures against the Spanish sports federations and “suspend the presidency or the other members of the governing bodies for reasons, in a precautionary manner, when disciplinary proceedings are instituted against these people as a result of alleged offenses classified as very serious.
From the Government they opted to measure the times and with caution, waiting for the celebration of the extraordinary Assembly of the Federation to act. In such a thorny matter, the Executive wants to shield itself from any challenge.
“The results of the Assembly have not been satisfactory in the eyes of the Government. Mr. Rubiales has not lived up to what was expected, what the players expected, nor what the Government and society expected. He has disappointed “It has not done what it should. The government wants to be forceful when it comes to saying that there are things that cannot happen again,” Francos censures. “We are ready for this to be the
“Mr. Rubiales’ intervention before the RFEF Assembly is absolutely incompatible with the representation he holds in Spanish sport and with the values of an advanced society like the Spanish one,” state government sources. “It cannot go unpunished,” they state from the team of Vice President Yolanda Díaz, who has been expressly pointed out by Rubiales due to the complaint filed by Sumar. “We have studied the case and we see a possible aggression.”
The Administrative Tribunal for Sports is the result of the integration of the now-defunct Spanish Sports Disciplinary Committee (dedicated to resolving sanctions) and the Electoral Guarantees Board (electoral processes). Therefore, all the reviewing functions and powers of the federation in the field of doping, sports discipline and guarantee of the legality of the electoral processes that take place in the Spanish sports entities are unified in a single administrative body.
The complaint seeks the disqualification of the current president of the Federation. It will happen now although the Government already had the opportunity to disqualify Rubiales due to the so-called Super Cup Files case, when it was revealed that Gerdad Piqué’s company agreed with the Federation on a commission of 24 million for taking the Super Cup to Arabia or when it became known that the president of the Federation hired a detective agency to spy on journalists.
“Next week the Higher Sports Council is going to notify the TAD of the presentation of various complaints,” Miquel Iceta, acting Minister of Sports, had already confirmed this Thursday. Specifically, three complaints had been filed about Rubiales’ actions.
From the Government they assure that it is necessary to be “forceful” to “reject behaviors” towards women. “Consider women objects that can be carried on the shoulder or groped and kissed.” “Spain no longer accepts macho attitudes or allows women to be denigrated. Any attack on equality will find a firm response from a feminist government,” said María Jesús Montero, acting Finance Minister and number two of the PSOE.
“This gentleman portrays himself. It is very surprising that he considers what he has done normal, that he considers this type of relationship with the women he works normal and that he also claims that men do not get complex and that they follow that recommendation of normality of that type of relationship with women,” said the acting third vice president, Teresa Ribera, after learning of Rubiales’ position. “He doesn’t seem very dignified or up to the responsibility he represents.”
“The first reflection that this gentleman must make is whether he is up to the task he represents and whether this type of behavior with the women with whom he works seems dignified to him,” he added, contrasting his attitude with the one he maintains with the players of the men’s team”. For Ribera, Rubiales’ attitude is “bravado” and “deepens in his lack of realism”.
What has especially angered the Government is not only that Rubiales entrenches himself, but that he “incites” men to “defend that this is normal: “He lives on a planet that is not Spain.”
From the Government, in recent days, very clear messages have been launched against Rubiales. “Of course we expect events, but if these events do not occur and they do not occur, the Government will act,” was the announcement this Thursday of the acting Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños.
“What we have seen today in the Federation Assembly is unacceptable. The Government must act and take urgent measures: impunity for macho actions is over. Rubiales cannot continue in office”, has been the reaction of the second vice president acting, which has precisely been directly alluded to by Rubiales, who has announced criminal proceedings against her. Also against Irene Montero, Ione Belarra and Pablo Echenique.
“Rubiales seeks her impunity. Faced with this, the Prosecutor’s Office and the CSD act to protect the player, to say no to machismo and to guarantee the right to sexual freedom. Now more than ever, Jenni Hermoso, you are not alone”, The acting Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, has exposed on her social networks.