The Supreme Sports Council made two core decisions this Wednesday. It activated the national federation selection process to replace the former federal president, Luis Rubiales. On one side, it published the draft Ministerial Decree that will regulate all federation elections in 2024, and on the other side it officially approved the RFEF’s request to advance regular elections. The celebration is planned for the last quarter of next year.
The Government is shaping the scenario that has existed since Rubiales resigned and a management company led by him, Pedro Rocha, was established. The renewal of the Ministerial Decree regulating federative processes, last updated in 2015, was intended before the Rubiales case drew attention; however, these events introduced some previously unforeseen aspects.
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This text is now available to the public so that interested parties can contribute, which will then be reviewed by the CSD. Bureaucratic procedures will be extended at least until the end of November. When will the final text be published in the BOE?
RFEF’s election regulations
Each national sports federation must then develop its own selection regulations within the framework of the Ministerial Decree. The government’s predictions highlight a notable change: a leader who is disqualified at any point by a national or international sports organization cannot become federation president. For instance, if FIFA disqualifies Rubiales or an Andalusian leader, even temporarily, they cannot aspire to chair the RFEF again.
The second required measure to activate this process, the certification of election progress, was also approved on Wednesday. This was primarily a formality, because ministers such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Victor Francos, as well as Minister Michael Iceta, had already signaled weeks earlier their intention for a definitive replacement of Rubiales to proceed through a new parliament created by a new Ministerial Decree.
Minister of Culture and Sports Miquel Iceta. EFE
The most notable change in the new CSD text is the assurance that a leader disqualified by any national or international sports organization cannot become federation president. For example, if FIFA rules against Rubiales, even for a month, he would never again be eligible to chair the RFEF.
Previously, a disqualification from an organization like FIFA suggested a long-term or open-ended issue as long as the disqualification remained in force. There was always a route for appeal that often claimed an international sports body exceeded its powers under Spanish law. As long as the current Ministerial Order articles remain in force, this risk is removed, and future governments can adjust rules accordingly.
Ministerial Decree Changes
Apart from the Rubiales case, the new document also revises the composition of federative assemblies. In terms of gender balance, it mandates female representation at meetings with quotas that vary according to the proportion of women with federative licenses. In parliaments where women represent at least a quarter, they must constitute no less than 40 percent. At the current RFEF meeting, there were six women among 140 members, illustrating the ongoing challenge.
Ex officio members of the assemblies no longer include regional heads by default. Those who wish to participate in the national structure must be selected by their regions. Athlete presence in these bodies is increased, and the eligibility criteria for athletes are eased to reflect this inclusion.
There is also a move to strengthen the integrity of voting in the parliament by introducing mechanisms to verify voter identity and expanding the number of voting centers across regional federation centers, with options for in-person ID checks or passport verification for postal ballots.
Image from the extraordinary congress of the Spanish Football Federation. RFEF
The changes extend beyond Rubiales, addressing long-standing governance concerns and aiming to modernize the federation’s electoral framework while ensuring transparency and accountability in the process. The broader goal appears to be aligning the federation’s statutes with contemporary sports governance norms and international expectations, reducing the risk of leadership vacuums and disqualifications undermining the federation’s stability. [Citation: Consejo Superior de Deportes] [Citation: Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte]