Spain s govt to oversee football federation until elections

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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.

The 46-year-old has denied that his decision to move the competition to Saudi Arabia was motivated by his own business investments and that he received illegal commissions while at the helm of the RFEF.

"The Spanish government has taken this decision in order to correct the serious situation that the RFEF is going through and to allow the organisation to begin a period of regeneration," the CSD said.

"This Commission for Supervision, Normalisation and Representation will be headed by independent persons of recognised prestige."

Pedro Rocha, who acted as interim RFEF president after Rubiales' suspension, testified as a witness in the corruption probe earlier in April, only for the judge in the case to add him to the list of people under investigation following that testimony.

In a separate case, Prosecutors are seeking a 2 ½ year jail term for Rubiales for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of Hermoso.