December 17 – Rafael Louzan has been elected president of the Spanish FA (RFEF) after greater than a yr of turmoil on the scandal-ridden physique following the downfall of former chief Luis Rubiales and his right-hand man Pedro Rocha.
Louzan, 57, beat Salvador Gomar on the Spanish FA common meeting in a two-way race following the last-minute withdrawal of Sergio Merchan.
Rubiales has been the goal of a corruption investigation and is because of stand trial in February for sexual assault over his unsolicited kiss of Jenni Hermoso that made worldwide headlines after Spain received the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup, prompting a worldwide backlash, his resignation and a FIFA ban for 3 years. Rocha, who briefly succeeded him, was handed a two-year ban for irregularities.
Louzan, too, has had authorized issues that might plague the RFEF’s hopes of beginning with a clear slate.
In Could 2022, he was discovered responsible of malfeasance in a case involving a contract to enhance a soccer pitch within the metropolis of Morana. Though he was cleared of fraud expenses, the sentence barred him from holding public workplace for seven years. Louzan has denied wrongdoing and appealed, which allowed him to run for RFEF presidency. The Supreme Court docket is because of hear the attraction on February 5.
Regardless of Louzan’s personal authorized case, he prevailed within the vote on Monday, aiming to unify Spanish soccer and recuperate the federation’s status earlier than co-hosting the 2030 World Cup.
Louzan represents the Galician Soccer Federation and has been a member of the RFEF’s govt committee since December 2019.
His win was broadly predicted because of his adept networking, significantly with LaLiga president Javier Tebas.
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