Spain’s respected former coach Vicente del Bosque will lead the Spanish government’s commission overseeing the country’s football federation (RFEF), after a corruption investigation targeted the current and former federation presidents.
Spain’s Higher Sports Council created the commission last week in an extraordinary measure for the coming months ‘in response to the crisis the institution is facing and in Spain’s national interests’.
The addition of Del Bosque may help the image of Spanish football after the government expressed concern for the reputational damage to the federation as the country is set to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup with Portugal and Morocco. Spain is also hoping for success at this summer’s men’s European Championship and at the Paris Olympics.
‘Del Bosque represents the best of our country in football,’ Pilar Alegría, the minister representing Spain’s top sports authority, said at Tuesday’s announcement. ‘He is our world champion, our European champion. He is a beloved man.’
The 73-year-old Del Bosque was Spain’s coach when it won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship.
The move by the government came a few weeks after an investigating judge expanded a corruption probe to include federation president Pedro Rocha after the brief detention of his predecessor Luis Rubiales. ALSO READ: Rubiales briefly detained at airport on return to Spain in corruption probe.
The corruption and money laundering investigation is looking into contracts that took the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia and federation links with Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium, which hosts the Copa del Rey final and some international games, among other deals.
Rocha and Rubiales have denied any wrongdoing. ALSO READ: Rubiales denies wrongdoing in probe into Saudi Arabia deal for Spanish Super Cup.
Rocha took over as interim president after Rubiales stepped down in September, weeks after he became a national embarrassment for kissing Spanish player Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the Women’s World Cup final awards ceremony. ALSO READ: Spanish prosecutors seek 2.5 year sentence for Rubiales’ World Cup kiss and coercion.
🗣️ “Agradezco a Vicente del Bosque su compromiso con el deporte y con su país”
— CSD (@deportegob) April 30, 2024
La ministra @Pilar_Alegria ha anunciado hoy que el exseleccionador nacional presidirá la Comisión de Supervisión, Normalización y Representación creada por el CSD.
➕ info: https://t.co/YilPbcGaG3 pic.twitter.com/0Fr6fWffOr
Vicente del Bosque será el presidente de la Comisión de Supervisión, Normalización y Representación de la @rfef.
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) April 30, 2024
La ministra de @educaciongob, @Pilar_Alegria, ha destacado su trayectoria y su compromiso con el deporte de nuestro país. pic.twitter.com/nEFBX6VJOd
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