The RFEF apologizes to the world of football for Rubiales’ behavior
The Spanish Federation continues in its race to regain credibility and the trust of the fans, the political class and also the rest of the sports leaders. To this end, Pedro Rocha, president of the Federation, wanted to write a letter reiterating and insisting on apologies to the sport and to society in general.
“The Royal Spanish Football Federation, through its President, Mr. Pedro Rocha, considers it essential to request the most sincere apologies to all of world football, to the football institutions (FIFA, UEFA, FN), and to the footballers. , especially the players of the Spanish Football Team and the English Football Team, the other agents involved in football and the fans around the world, for the totally unacceptable behavior of their highest institutional representative during the final and in the later moments, which do not respond at all to the values of Spanish society as a whole, its institutions, its representatives, its athletes and the leaders of Spanish sport.”
The Royal Spanish Football Federation, through its President, Mr. Pedro Rocha, considers it essential to request the most sincere apologies to all of world football.Rocha continues pointing directly to Rubiales. “Spanish society is an example of tolerance and civility, in all social and political spheres and has been an example of sporting behavior and decorum, as it has demonstrated for decades in all the sporting events in which it has participated ; and that nobility and international prestige of our society and our sport have been tarnished in recent days by the actions of Luis M. Rubiales. The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and to all the values of the football and sport has been enormous.
From this RFEF we must apologize most sincerely and acquire a firm and absolute commitment that events like these can never happen again. The RFEF wants to convey to society as a whole and to world football as a whole its deepest regret for what happened that has tarnished our national team, our football and our society. We feel deeply sorry for the damage caused and for this reason, from this RFEF we must apologize most sincerely and acquire a firm and absolute commitment that events like these can never happen again.
We are deeply saddened by the damage causedHe insists on his apology and maximum cooperation so that the provisional sanction against Rubiales becomes definitive. “Both the governing bodies of the world of football -FIFA- and the bodies responsible for sport at the state level -Higher Sports Council CSD and Administrative Court of Sports TAD-have immediately adopted the corresponding measures, immediately opening both files. Disciplinary actions against Mr. Luis Rubiales and which entail, in the case of FIFA’s decision, the immediate suspension of his functions as president of the RFEF. The RFEF is providing all the documentary and administrative support that is required from both disciplinary bodies in order to havea definitive resolution as soon as possible that makes it possible to compensate for the damage caused.”
The RFEF provides documentary and administrative support
He continues to question what Rubiales did. “Winning the World Cup was one of the proudest moments in the history of the Spanish Federation and one of the most important moments in Spanish sport, in women’s football, without a doubt. Mr. Rubiales’ performance both at that moment and in the following hours are not acceptable under any circumstances and for this reason the RFEF immediately removed from its website all those inappropriate and meaningless communications that did not value what the National Team had achieved and did not take into account the player’s statements about these facts. The actions of Mr. Rubiales do not represent the values defended by the Spanish Federation, nor the values of Spanish society as a whole and its actions should be attributed solely and exclusively to him, since he is the only one responsible for his actions before society, before sports bodies and, if applicable, before justice. To be clear, this position was that of Mr. Rubiales, not that of the RFEF.”
The actions of Mr. Rubiales do not represent the values defended by the Spanish FederationThe decision does not change in the slightest. “We are particularly sorry and embarrassed by the additional pain and anguish this has caused. We regret that this incident has negatively impacted what should have been an ongoing celebration of football, both for our national team and for the England Lionesses. , who were a truly extraordinary opponent in a thrilling final. On Monday, August 28, 2023, the RFEF issued a statement in which the presidents of the Autonomous Federations unanimously demanded the resignation of Mr. Rubialesas, President of the RFEF for his improper conduct. A review of the organisation’s current management structures was also announced and is ongoing. In this sense, to protect Spanish football and ensure that these behaviors are not repeated, a thorough investigation of the events and the subsequent measures taken by Mr. Rubiales was immediately launched. At the same time, all the presidents of the member federations of the Spanish Federation demanded the immediate resignation of the president and have committed to carrying out a thorough review of all the policies and procedures of the organization.
The RFEF must act in coordination with the Higher Sports Council to serve the general interests of Spanish sport.
He promises immediate changes in the Federation. “The commitment of all of them is unanimous and firm to have in the coming days a whole set of actions that improve the governance of the Spanish football federation and make it possible to repair, to the extent possible, the damage caused. The RFEF must act in a coordinated manner with the Higher Sports Council to serve the general interests of Spanish sport. We have privately sent this statement to the relevant authorities and institutions, which we are now making public. Finally, I would like to congratulate once again our selection for their historic victory, recognizing the impact and legacy that their victory will have on the future of Spanish football. We are convinced that their spirit has inspired millions of people of all ages, and we could not be more proud of the way they have conducted themselves, both on and off the field of play. In due course, I intend to bring them back into the limelight and celebrate their achievements as they deserve.”