Rubiales bid farewell after five years of controversy

Luis Rubiales He ended this Sunday just over five years in the leadership of Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Twenty-one days after her last major controversy, she starred after the Women’s World Cup final and caused a global uproar that led to FIFA to temporarily disable him for ninety days.

On August 20, a kiss was given at the medal ceremony for the player Jenni Hermoso and his attitude to the box, where after the Spanish victory he held his penis, led to all that followed. And this Sunday, three weeks later, Rubiales unexpectedly announced his resignation from the presidency of RFEF and in his position as vice president of UEFA.

A farewell that everyone has been waiting for General Meeting of the Federation held on August 25, where he unexpectedly announced, repeating it up to five times, that he would not resign.

His journey at the head of the RFEF began five years and almost four months ago, on May 17, 2018, when Rubiales offered a new Federation, amid the storm that was operation ‘soul’ and the alleged mismanagement of its previous board, after 29 years of Ángel Villar’s mandate.

He then spoke about being professional, increasing revenue, being transparent and making a clear commitment to women’s football. Perhaps he believed he could achieve a feat as great as world from a few days ago Sydneybut not thinking about what his behavior will indicate to celebrate for him and for Spanish football.

Accustomed since his arrival to dealing with major crises and living with controversies, feuds and loyalties that were later betrayed, Rubiales (Las Palmas, 1977) found himself at the end of August in the rejection of football that supported him, the Government and FIFA. It is the first action taken against him, with a temporary suspension for 90 days and Spain’s candidacy for the 2030 World Cup at risk.

Rubiales has become a victim of his own managerial success and an unshakable character that is always difficult for him to resist. She showed it in direct confrontations and fights, some on the court, and acted with no abandon after feeling like she had won the Women’s World Cup. Coming from Spain and after a lot of internal fighting among the players. Some are out of luck. Others were present, despite not speaking to the president or the coach.

It was difficult for him to understand that he had made a serious mistake in the celebrations. That the way he celebrated with the players, giving kisses on the mouth, holding each other in flight, distributing kisses on the cheeks, all the obstacles that a president should respect in the eyes of all.

After several lukewarm apologies, political pressurewith demands for the resignation of member of the Government in the office, the first step taken by Jenni Hermoso who gave a different version of the kiss than hers, the file opened by FIFA, the popular feelings of an entire country and the possible lack of support caused an emergency meeting in the afternoon of the 24th. August, after which his resignation is considered to be over RFEF General Meeting the next day.

But Rubiales appears here in its purest form. He used the same number of his years in office, five, to surprise by announcing five times that he would not resign. He reported that something was being done against him “a social murder”, He challenged his accusers, summoned them to court and activated the Government’s mechanism to seek punishment through TAD.

But the FIFA He continued and, 48 hours after announcing the opening of a file, confirmed a temporary suspension for 90 days for the Spanish manager. The proposal meant that the presidency of the RFEF remained temporarily in the hands of Pedro Rochathe president of the Extremadura Federation, chosen as his dolphin after he was left as the sole vice president of a board facing several resignations, in addition to the technical staff of the women’s team, except for the coach, Jorge Vildawhich Rocha fired after a few days.

Until now, yours character, firm, direct and challenging, made him successful to come out of the very dangerous situation, in which he lived. The cessation of Julen Lopetegui as coach on the eve of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, within hours of the debut, the replacement of Luis Enrique through Robert Moreno and his dismissal, in addition to the contract with Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup, which is still being investigated by the judiciary, was part of his mandate.

A mandate in which in just one year he reached one of the vice-presidents of UEFA, in which he boasted the increase of the income of the RFEF from 144 million euros when it reached the current 382.3 and in which he changed the loyalty because of feuds. Some of the people he became ‘praetorian guard’ in Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) They moved away and now work in LaLiga, their constant enemy, and even David Aganzowhom he himself chose as his successor and filed several complaints against him.

His experience as a player at clubs such as Mallorca, Lleida, Xerez and Levante was key to becoming president of the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), without an election due to the resignation of its former leader. Gerardo González Movilla, after 22 years. In his seven years at the helm of the union, he led the strike in August 2012 and was poised to become president of the RFEF.

He set aside his loyalty to Angel Villar, announced a motion of no confidence against him after unsuccessfully asking him to resign over the initiation of an investigation into the Soule operation. The motion for the dismissal of Villar of Court of Arbitration for Sports (TAD), the same will study the request for sanctions for him sent to him by the CSD and with that decision the first elections were promoted in which he was elected president of the RFEF.

On May 17, 2018, the Assembly supported its project with 80 votes compared to 56 achieved byJuan Luis Larreatreasurer during Villar’s time, and on September 21, 2020 he did it again without objection, because Iker Casillaswho was running, finally resigned, with a total of 95 votes in favor and 10 abstentions for a second term until 2024, which could end early if there were sanctions.