With a new letter of apologies for the behavior of Luis Rubiales during the celebration of the Women’s World Cup and in the days that followed, and with the dismissal of the women’s coach Jorge Vilda still smoldering, Pedro Rocha appeared yesterday afternoon at the headquarters of the Superior Sports Council. The interim president of the Spanish Football Federation, handpicked by Rubiales, had an appointment with Víctor Francos at half past five in the afternoon. The Secretary of State for Sport was waiting for Rocha with expectation to hear how he intends to carry out the profound structural change in the federative institution that he and the territorial barons announced on August 28. Rocha is known to be under government suspicion due to his condition as a Rubiales dolphin and Francos received him with a clear understanding that changes that are mere make-up are not enough for the Government. The aforementioned letter signed by the Extremaduran leader himself in which he distanced himself from Rubiales will not be enough despite his harshness.
“The actions of Mr. Rubiales do not represent the values defended by the Spanish Federation, nor the values of Spanish society as a whole; and his actions must be attributed solely and exclusively to him, since he is the only one responsible for his actions before society, before sports bodies and, if applicable, before Justice”, read the letter, which added: “So that let it be clear: this position was that of Mr. Rubiales, not that of the RFEF. We are especially sorry and embarrassed by the additional pain and anguish this has caused.” The letter is forceful, but Francos does not want words, he wants fait accomplis that dispel suspicions that Rubiales is handling Rocha and the federation from a distance.
After an hour and a quarter of the meeting, Rocha left with the clear feeling that the Government will monitor the changes to distance itself from the rubilism They are going to be deep and real, just as he promised to Francos. In return, the motion of censure, which would be the most logical movement after Rocha and the regional presidents requested the joint resignation, does not seem likely to be promoted. That is the great battle that the barons who remain faithful to Rubiales, less and less, have won for now. As long as Rocha keeps his word.
From the CSD they assure that the Extremaduran leader presented them with a road map and a commitment to carry out a thorough reorganization of the federative structures. “The commitment is a real change that leads to elections in 2024,” they assert from the CSD.
Rocha wants to finish the mandate that Rubiales began in 2019 and has already promised to the presidents of the territorial divisions not to be a candidate. However, for the government to let him complete this transition process that he proposed to Francos, he must dare to take steps that some of the barons do not see favorably. In the key of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez, this should mean the dismissal of the general secretary Andreu Camps, one of the armed legal arms of Rubiales. The letter that he sent to UEFA in his efforts to maintain the rubilismand which endangered the participation of Spanish teams and the national team in international tournaments, has been definitive so that Rocha already knows first-hand that he must dismiss Andreu Camps.
Rocha has asked for time, but he is aware that in this case, as in that of the external legal adviser Tomás González Cueto, he should not delay it excessively. That both have sensitive information about the barons charged in Operation Soule that ended Villar’s 29th birthday is indifferent to the CSD. Jacinto Andrés Alonso (Rioja), Antonio García Gaona (Ceuta), Diego Martínez (Melilla), José Miguel Monje (Murcia) and José Ángel Peláez (Cantabria) are in this situation. The latter has already publicly distanced himself from Rubiales, assuring on Cadena Ser that he had written the letter to promote the motion of censure. Peláez, who was one of Villar’s strong men, was also one of the first to withdraw his support when he was arrested.
Rocha would do well to more easily execute the plans put forward to the CSD if FIFA does not take long to convert the 90-day provisional suspension imposed on Rubiales into a sufficiently long-lasting disqualification. This would be good for him to execute that road map to which he has committed to before Francos. Otherwise, the Government will intervene with a phrase that has been heard these days at the ministerial headquarters. “Nobody laughs at Spain and the Spaniards.”
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