RFEF President Rafael Louzan safe after court case clears him of fraud

RFEF President Rafael Louzan will, all being well, be in power at the Royal Spanish Football Federation for the next three years, after he was cleared of fraud in court. Louzan had an outstanding court case, and if the charges were upheld, he would have been prohibited from exercising his role in charge of Spanish football.

Louzan came to power late last year after he was elected as the first legitimate president since Luis Rubiales left the role in late 2023. Rubiales was forced to resign after FIFA and the Spanish Ministry for Sport suspended him from his rule as a result of the controversy surrounding his non-consensual kiss of Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup as Spain celebrated the title. Rubiales is currently facing charges of sexual assault and coercion, with the trial against him ongoing.

He was replaced by interim president Pedro Rocha, formerly a Vice-President under Rubiales. Rocha remained in power for nearly a year, but with elections not called for nine months (a new president is supposed to be put into power after a maximum of six months), was found to have exceeded his powers in the interim role while he was in the role. Despite winning elections to become the permanent president, Rocha was suspended from office himself.

Louzan was facing a court appeal over a case of fraud, while in charge of the City Council in Pontevedra, after sanctioning an extra government grant to fund the renovation of a football pitch. The claim was that it had not been approved, and Louzan had deliberately misdirected public funds, but the Spanish Supreme Court have cleared Louzan of any charges of bribery, as reported by Marca.

Had he been found guilty, he would have been banned from public office for seven years, but as it is, he will remain in power. Louzan already has plenty on his plate, including the refereeing controversy with Real Madrid. Since taking power, he has also handed a fresh deal to Spain manager Luis de la Fuente.

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