A men’s Champions League without Real Madrid, FC Barcelona or Atlético, a women’s Champions League without the all-powerful Barça, a European Championship in Germany without Spain and the disappearance of the reigning women’s World Cup winners? FIFA and UEFA, when they read in Spanish newspapers on Thursday that the government intended to intervene in the Royal Spanish Football Federation if Pedro Rocha was elected president, threw up their hands in their hands and threatened to leave Spain out of everything. This Friday, Pedro Rocha has been elected president: the pulse of politics on football in Spain begins.
Pedro Rocha is the president elected by the Territorial Federations to continue the work being done by Luis Rubiales, under investigation by the courts for a possible case of corruption and internationally famous since he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the podium in the summer. His repeated refusal to apologise and acknowledge his mistake sealed his own grave in the public eye. After his forced departure, Pedro Rocha entered the scene, who was originally going to stay for a short period of time but finally decided to stand in an election in which there were no other candidates. Spanish society, the voters, see him as a continuation of the Rubiales era – also under investigation by the courts – and the government has wanted to take action. I don’t know whether it is more concerned about Spanish football or its voters.
WHY THE FOOTBALL WORLD VOTES FOR ROCHA
The truth is that Spanish football, in terms of image, wanted someone different to Rubiales, but who would continue his work, given that during his mandate trophies such as the Copa del Rey, the Federation Cup, the Spanish Super Cup (beyond the morale of this model) have been revitalised, futsal and beach football are being promoted… And, above all, the RFEF earned 440 million euros last year, compared to 120 million five years ago, and much of that money is invested in non-professional football, the mainstay of professional football. However, these figures, which matter so much to those who elected Pedro Rocha as president, have not come to the fore in this political, judicial and social battle.
FIFA and UEFA are aware of the economic boost that the RFEF has had in recent times, just as they realised in recent months that having Luis Rubiales around would cause them problems. So, like their territorial partners in Spain, they wanted a different face but with a line that would continue the work that has been done. The last thing they want is for the second highest earning federation in the world – behind only England – to be taken over by a political hand that would lead to greater instability than at present. Just to give an example of how sport is looked after in Spain: in the last five years there have been five different ‘Ministers of Sport’ (five presidents of the CSD).
THE RFEF “IS NOT A PUBLIC BODY”
It remains to be seen whether Pedro Rocha, charged in the Brody case, is guilty or not of any corruption offence. Society, the government and the football world have already given their opinion… now only the verdict of justice is missing to complete the last piece of the puzzle. In the meantime, FIFA and UEFA hope that Pedro Rocha will continue if that is what the Territorial Federations have wanted or, at least, that no one from the Government will intervene in, as the Supreme Court has just reminded the Consejo Superior de Deportes in a ruling, “a private entity, not a public body”. It’s either that or leave Spain out of any competition organised by FIFA and UEFA… it’s football’s pulse on politics.
What is impossible is to think that this will end up affecting Real Madrid and Barcelona. There go too many votes for any government.
