April 18 – Interim Spanish FA (RFEF) president Pedro Rocha says he has no intention of resigning despite an investigation being opened into his alleged role in an ongoing bribery scandal.
Rocha, who has run the federation since Luis Rubiales was banned and later resigned following the infamous ‘Kissgate’ debacle, was expected to imminently take over permanently.
But when he appeared in court last week as a witness in a separate corruption and money laundering case involving Rubiales, his testimony was ruled out and instead he was declared a suspect.
Rubiales, who was briefly detained on his return from the Dominican Republic on April 3, is due to testify as part of the investigation on April.
Spanish media report that Rocha may now drop out of the running to allow the federation to postpone upcoming elections.
Rocha, for his part, believes he has done nothing wrong and the RFEF issued a statement declaring their profound disagreement with the decision to suspend him and the federation’s interim board.
Spanish football is trying to turn the page on a series of scandals as it gears up to co-host the World Cup in 2030. Last month, police searched the RFEF offices and two executives were fired, prompting FIFA and UEFA to request a detailed update on the corruption probe.
Earlier this week, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Uribes, president of the state-run Superior Council of Sport (CSD), raised the current crisis in parliament, saying: “I have conveyed to (FIFA) our concern and our determination to take every measure to ensure that a reputational crisis such as this can never happen again.”
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