The Spanish government announced the creation of a special committee on Thursday that will oversee the country’s football federation (RFEF) until the governing body holds new elections.
The decision was taken “in response to the crisis in the organisation and in defence of the general interest of Spain,” the National Sports Council (CSD), the government agency responsible for sport, said in a statement.
The move follows months of scandals which began with an unsolicited kiss from former RFEF chief Luis Rubiales on player Jenni Hermoso at the on-pitch awards ceremony for Spain‘s women’s World Cup success in Sydney.
A corruption investigation was then opened into Rubiales and the RFEF’s lucrative three-year deal with Saudi Arabia’s sports authority in 2019 to host the Spanish Supercopa in the country. An apartment belonging to the 46-year-old was raided by Spanish police, as was the RFEF’s headquarters.
