Conclave, dismissals and grotesque
The day began with the continuation of the news from the previous day, which made reference to the determined resignation of Luis Rubiales as president of the Federation, a move leaked from his closest circle on Thursday afternoon.
The first event scheduled for this transcendental day was the appointment of the highest federation leader with those who have been his faithful over the years in the presidential chair of the Ciudad del Fútbol, that is, the presidents of the territorial ones. All of them believed that they were attending Rubiales’ last meeting as president, although none of them had actually confirmed his goodbye.
Rubiales arrived at the federation headquarters a few minutes after ten in the morning. The federations did it little by little, dripping and all, in silence. Nobody wanted to say anything. From the first moment, the meeting was tense and at times bordering on situations that surprised the federations.
The president was asking one by one if they supported him or not. He wanted to know if they were on his side. Only two members of this Praetorian Guard showed him their support. Navarra, the Basque Country and the Canary Islands were the most radical territories in refusing Rubiales, within a tense climate to the maximum.
Not finding a majority of response in favor, the president of the RFEF decided to throw down the middle street and remove all of them from their posts as vice presidents except Pedro Rocha, president of La Extremeña. Thus, Bestard, Suárez, Del Amo, Soteras, Martínez, Gomar, Andrés and Lozano ceased to be part of the hard core, in a sudden way.
The assistants (convinced that the immediate subsequent step was going to be his resignation) understood that in this way Rocha would go on to preside over the management commission. Something that immediately transcended the Press. After this strange contact with Rubiales, and without knowing exactly what the president was going to say and do in the Assembly, but convinced that they were going to attend his resignation live, they all went to it.
The surprise caused by his resounding “I am not going to resign” was huge. Many wondered if this position was taken by Rubiales after the morning conclave, in just a few minutes on the way to the assembly hall, or it was a calculated strategy (with resignation leak included) to generate more surprise effect. The (perverse) reading that some made is added: that Rubiales, faced with a presumable temporary disqualification, thus manages to place Rocha, his most faithful manager, in charge of him to resume his position without problem when he complies with the sanction. The president’s victimist and at times surreal speech was received with agitation and evident bewilderment, but ended up being celebrated with unheard-of applause from the audience, which slightly exceeded the quorum of 50 percent necessary for the appointment to take place.
The territorial presidents left Las Rozas reading the immediate and angry reactions of the whole world to what happened and with the doubt as to whether these dismissals of vice presidents are effective (one of them, Rafa del Amo, for sure, because he has resigned) and without knowing very well what will happen now, with all the artillery of the State (complaint by the Prosecutor’s Office before the National Court included: big words) pointing at a Rubiales who, to everyone’s surprise, decided this morning to carry out a grotesque flight forward.