The central operational unit of the Civil Guard began searching the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Wednesday. The investigation refers to violations found in contracts concluded over the past five years. Seven people were detained.
In addition to the RFEF headquarters, police also raided the residence of former president Luis Rubiales in Granada, but the former head of the federation has been suspended and accused of sexually assaulting the World Cup-winning footballer. The women’s team is based in the Dominican Republic and must report to authorities on April 6.
Rubiales claims police were acting as part of a judicial investigation into allegedly flawed contracts over the past five years, namely one that allowed the Spanish Super Cup to be moved to Saudi Arabia, where the Final Four has been staged since 2020.
This bet was made in exchange for 40 million euros per year through the mediation of Kosmos, a company owned by former FC Barcelona international defender Gerard Pique.
Following the release of audio recordings of conversations between Rubiales and Pique, which revealed commissions worth several million euros, Spanish authorities launched an investigation in 2022.
Rubiales guarantees that the RFEF “has not paid, is not paying and will not pay anyone a single euro of commission for this agreement”, defending the legality of the agreement, as Pique did in April 2022, showing that he is “proud” to implement it.
This Thursday, the RFEF suspended two directors involved in the investigation. In a statement, the institution announced the departure of Legal Services Director Pedro González Segura and Human Resources Director José Javier Jiménez.
At the same time, RFEF terminated its contract with external legal counsel Tomas Gonzalez Cueto of GC Legal, revoking his authority to represent the federation in litigation along with partner Ramon Caravaca.
Spain is co-hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Portugal and Morocco.
Author: morning Post This Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.