The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has elected Rafael Louzan as its new president.
Galician Football Federation (RFGF) president Louzan won 90 votes with rival Salvador Gomar, the Valencian federation president, receiving 43, in Monday’s elections held at the federation’s headquarters on the outskirts of Madrid.
The RFEF — the governing body that runs football in Spain — has been without a president since Pedro Rocha was suspended for two years in July following a “very serious infringement” of his authority. Spain’s superior sports court (TAD) deemed the September 2023 dismissal of former general secretary Andreu Camps to be an abuse of Rocha’s authority.
Former RFEF president Luis Rubiales had handpicked Rocha as his successor shortly before being banned from all football activities by FIFA last August after he kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the presentation ceremony at the Women’s World Cup. Hermoso always maintained the kiss was not consensual, which Rubiales denied. Rubiales will stand trial for alleged sexual assault and coercion over the incident in February of next year.
Rocha acted as federation chief for eight months, including taking decisions to fire some of Rubiales’ closest associates, before assuming the full-time presidency in April.
The drawn out process of replacing him had sparked national team coach Luis de la Fuente to voice concerns over reports the country could lose its hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup as a result.
However, the joint bid with Portugal and Morocco — as well as Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay — was officially confirmed as tournament hosts by world football’s governing body last week.
GO DEEPER
What I learned from Netflix’s ‘The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football’ documentary
How we got here
Analysis by Spanish football correspondent Dermot Corrigan
Monday’s vote has shown that the all-powerful ‘barons’ who run Spain’s regional federations remain in charge even after the Spanish government wanted reform after Rubiales drew the world’s attention to the RFEF’s deep dysfunction.
Louzan won the majority of votes, despite being found guilty in May 2022 of misuse of public funds in the reform of a local football stadium during his former job as governor of the Galician province of Pontevedra.
Louzan was punished with seven years’ suspension from public office — and the RFEF statutes say candidates for president cannot have such a suspension. However, the former Partido Popular (conservative People’s Party) politician is currently appealing that 2022 conviction so he was able to run.
Gomar would not have been a clean broom either. He was once an ally of Rubiales and has also faced allegations of wrongdoing in his region. Gomar took advantage of the Spanish government’s wish for another candidate to emerge to gain the baronial backing required to run against Louzan.
The intrigue continued with the third declared candidate, Sergio Merchan, withdrawing his name just before the vote. This looked very much like confirmation of the widely held assumption that Merchan was only there to run against Gomar had Louzan been removed at the last minute.
The total of 141 votes are, in theory, drawn from all across Spanish football — including professional and amateur clubs, referees, coaches and players, male and female. Indoor and beach football also have representation.
But the power of the regional barons was shown by businessman Juan Manuel Morales and former RFEF secretary general Gerardo Gonzalez failing to even muster the 21 endorsements required to run in the final election.
Louzan also had the public backing of La Liga president Javier Tebas — who has loudly criticised the Spanish government for forcing Rocha to step aside.
The whole circus remains a huge problem for the credibility of the Spanish federation, and Spanish football in general, ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco.
The miracle is how Spain’s players and coaches continue to thrive despite all the institutional mismanagement and turmoil. Spain won last year’s women’s World Cup. The men’s senior team won the 2024 Euros and the U-23s won last summer’s Olympic Games. Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively are the men’s and women’s Champions League holders.
(Dennis Agyeman / AFP7 via Getty Images)
