An earthquake has shaken the Royal Spanish Football Federation practically since the summer. Luis Rubiales‘ famous kiss to Jenni Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup award ceremony was the beginning of a series of blunders that have damaged the name and image of Spanish football around the world. Now, the shock comes from the Civil Guard’s search of the organization’s headquarters for alleged crimes of corruption, unfair administration and money laundering… And all this with the 2030 World Cup that intends to have its final at the Santiago Bernabéu, in Game.
Is the RFEF now ready to organize the final of a competition of the stature of a World Cup? It is a question that would even affect the image of FIFA if it decided – at this time – to grant it to Spain. The 2030 World Cup will be held in Spain, Morocco and Portugal as the main hosts, but there will also be action in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Portugal, which does not have a stadium with capacity for 80,000 spectators or more, would be left out of the options to host a final that, a priori, the iconic Santiago Bernabéu had more options after completing a spectacular remodeling.
A STADIUM IN MOROCCO FOR 113,000 SPECTATORS
However, the latest information affecting Spain and its football federation could change this favoritism and Morocco, which in 2025 will begin the construction of a stadium for 113,000 spectators (Grand African Stadium, in Casablanca), could be the beneficiary. The North African federation has also recently agreed with FIFA to hold the next five U-17 Women’s World Cups (annually), so its relationship with the entity chaired by Gianni Infantino is more than cordial.
Infantino, last summer, congratulated the RFEF for “its work and the development of football throughout the world.” “I congratulate you for the work done at the amateur level, which is fundamental. I ask you to continue working with the same passion for football, you have in FIFA an ally and a friend. I am sure that together we will do even greater things for world football”. All this, before the kiss with Hermoso and this episode.
Time will tell if with the current board, which is no longer that of Luis Rubiales, the RFEF has FIFA’s hand extended to clarify all the issues of the previous stage – in which, on the other hand, the profit of the RFEF and the accounts of the territorial federations were cleaned up. Elections are held in May and the ‘brown’ that Pedro Rocha, current president, has in his hands, is capital. At stake is everything from the image of Spanish football to the World Cup final.
