Last Friday, the Sports Administrative Court (TAD) issued a proposed resolution that disqualifies the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Pedro Rocha, for six years to hold positions in any sports federation by committing very serious offenses, according to the Court’s consideration, during his period as president of the Managing Commission, after the departure of the previous president, Luis Rubiales.
Among the facts referred to include the dismissal of the former secretary general of the RFEF, Andreu Camps, the termination of the contract with the law firm of Tomás González Cueto, legal advisor to Luis Rubiales during his mandate, and the appearance of the RFEF as a private accusation in the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 4 of Majadahonda. The TAD proposes two years for each of these three events.
Response from Pedro Rocha
A few hours before he travels to Germany to watch the last match of the Group Stage of the European Championship in Spain against Albania, The president of the RFEF has strongly criticized this decision in an interview for El Periódico Extremadurawhile acknowledging that he did not expect this announcement now.
“We are in a Euro Cup, with Spain playing and winning. In whose head can this mess be made now?” Rocha points out before sending this defense message: “It’s the world upside down. They accuse me of exceeding my duties for making decisions that the Higher Sports Council itself requested.”
And in all this, the 2030 World Cup in the background and with risk, as Rocha recognizes: “In a few days we have to present the dossier of the 2030 World Cup candidacy to FIFA, which has already said that it will not allow government interference in the federations. We are risking organizing the 2030 World Cup.”
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“In life it is important to act with honesty and integrity, and also respect the rules and laws. I do not know what interests are behind this file, whose arguments respond neither to common sense nor to the law, but rather to a political intention to intervene in a Federation that is pacified, stabilized and immersed in a Euro Cup and in the organization of a World Cup”, Rocha points out when asked whether or not he believes there was a black hand behind this matter.
“The Federation is calm, Spanish football is pacified, we are in the Euro and we have a World Cup and we are going to play in the Olympic Games. Are there really reasons to return to chaos and destroy all this? It is unusual and I hope that the common sense”, sentences the president of the RFEF on this matter.
During the aforementioned interview, the leader was asked if at any time he had thought about ‘throwing in the towel’ and withdrawing from this whole matter and Rocha and confessed that “I know that I would return a thousand times to make the decisions I made to protect the Federation of the allegedly criminal conduct that is being tried”.
Pedro Rocha may continue to be president of the CSD. Cordon Press.
Finally, Rocha also spoke about the figure of Vicente del Bosque, the person who heads the RFEF Commission created by the CSDand although he indicates that he does not work with him, “the only thing I have for him are good words, but he is on a commission that the Higher Sports Council has created.”
“Fortunately we are two people in whom dialogue prevails a lot and we will never have problems,” concludes the president of the RFEF.
The national coach Luis de la Fuente responded to the media about this matter in the press conference prior to the clash against Albania: “We have a shield and skin that thick. What happens outside our bubble DOES NOT affect us. We cannot afford to be aware of other things.”
