Spanish Football Federation in Turmoil: Restructuring and Reforms Ahead

He was the centerpiece. If he is fired, it will be possible to restructure Spanish football and the mandate of Luis Rubiales at the head of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) will end. On Wednesday, the interim president of the federation, Pedro Rocha, respected the agreement reached with the Spanish women’s team the day before and fired Andreu Camps, general secretary of the Spanish Football Federation.

Once the concentrations are over, the Spanish Federation will begin to work on the profound restructuring that the players have demanded to return to the national team. The dismissal of the general secretary of the Spanish Football Federation occurs one day after the Spanish Government, through the president of the Higher Sports Council, Víctor Francos, and the Federation itself managed to resolve the internal crisis that plagued the organization after the absence of the former Rubiales, president of the Spanish Federation. Jenny Hermoso had a consensual kiss at the World Cup final in Australia. The management of the scandal – with the federation relying on Rubiales and pointing the finger at the victim, Hermoso, instead of helping and protecting her – caused a rift within the Spanish Football Federation and a confrontation with the players, which overshadowed the team’s victory in the world Cup.

Camps was one of the most prominent figures in the Spanish Football Federation, a firm supporter of Rubiales and one of the managers who treated the players harshly when 15 members of the squad a year ago were not available for selection as measure to promote structural changes. in the league. The Spanish Football Federation, which then governed authoritarianism and created a hostile environment for athletes.

A year later, after the Rubiales case unleashed a wave of protests in Spain, these changes began to take effect. Camps’ departure is not the first, as Rubiales and divisive coach Jorge Villeda have been fired, despite Spain’s World Cup victory, and it will not be the last.

The 39 Spanish players who last Friday signed a statement demanding profound structural changes in the Spanish Football Federation, pointed out several departments, and on Tuesday, during a team training session at the Oliva golf course, southeast of Valencia , presented a list of names. In addition to Camps, the players are calling for the dismissal of Miguel García Capa, the federation’s integrity director who wrote the report after the acceptance of Rubiales Hermoso. The players also included Rubén Rivera of the marketing department, who pressured Hermoso to change his version of events, and communications director Pablo García Cuervo, whose relationship with the players eroded during the period in which 15 members of the team refused to represent the team.

It remains to be seen how the players will react to the appointment of Montse Toumi to succeed Velda as coach of the national team. The former assistant is not a popular figure among the squad and her promotion was seen as a line of continuity, but she was not among the figures that the players wanted to remove from the structure of the Spanish Football Federation. That was until Monday, when the coach named a squad that included several players who declared themselves unavailable for selection until the reforms they had demanded were implemented. He also gave a speech full of half-truths and euphemisms. Tommy has no authority over the players, but he will be on the bench in Gothenburg on Friday when Spain plays Sweden, and on Tuesday in Córdoba when they face Switzerland. He will likely be relieved of his position after these two games. Nobody expects her to last much longer at the head of a team that does not trust her and feels disappointed by her appointment.

Spain’s Alexia Putellas greets fans during a national team training session in Oliva, Spain, Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Alberto Sáez (AP/LAPRESSE)

Alexia: “I’m not exactly here to feel comfortable.”

The 21 players who remained in the Oliva camp – Maby León and Patry Guijarro left on Wednesday morning with the understanding that they would not be sanctioned – returned to the field in the afternoon and there are still many issues to be resolved. Hermoso removed from the summons: Tommy left her without speaking to the player, to “protect her”, although Hermoso does not see it the same way.

Players have not forgotten that they play under duress, with the threat of losing their federal licenses. Barcelona star and Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas told reporters: “I’m not here to feel comfortable.” However, the players had the support of the fans, and hundreds of people came to see the world champions train.

On Thursday, the team will travel to Sweden to play the opening match of the European Nations League, which will serve as a qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympic Games. They will do so after ensuring the Government’s commitment to implement the profound structural changes that they have been demanding for so long and that began on Wednesday with the departure of the fields.

«This is not a happy ending; It is a happy beginning of a path that should lead to renewed unity and players feeling comfortable and happy to play and win. The road will not be easy because the union is going through a transition stage. “For the moment, but it will culminate with the elections in the first quarter,” said the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sports, Mikel Isita, starting in 2024.

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2024-01-01 12:38:12
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