The president of the RFEF is not part of the LaLiga assembly, yet he retains the right to attend every meeting in a listening capacity, without a vote. Luis Rubiales’s presence in that body had not occurred since April 2019. When asked by LaLiga, the reason given was that clubs refused to grant him support. When asked by the former federation president and his circle, the claim was that consensus had become impossible and that traps were unfair.
In truth, Rubiales had, for one reason or another, not visited the Torrelaguna federation headquarters in four long years. There was no photo of them together with LaLiga’s leaders linked to the Viana pacts, yet a government meeting was necessary to discuss how to cover the costs of the Covid crisis. Since then, a thousand and one frictions have marked the relationship between the two institutions.
However, Rubiales was no longer at the helm of the RFEF, and Pedro Rocha had taken charge as head of the managing committee. Although Rocha was not the president himself, he led the Extremaduran team in attending the session. The regular gathering of LaLiga was convened to approve the standard budgets of the competition and to consider adjustments to the rules on economic oversight and player registration. The meeting, it could be said, lacked drama.
LaLiga held its Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assembly Meeting with clubs under the banners of #LALIGAEASPORTS and #LALIGAHYPERMOTION.
Pedro Rocha, the vice president of the RFEF, attended the meeting. pic.twitter.com/wUGf2N1KtC
— LaLiga Corporate (@LaLigaCorp) 23 October 2023
Two meetings in one morning
Rocha’s presence was notable. He stayed briefly, pressed by a tight schedule: LaLiga began at 11:00, and by 12:30 he had an engagement at Las Rozas with the signing of the Oliva Agreements alongside the CSD president Víctor Francos and national team players. The two events were not exactly neighboring in location or timing.
In the end, Rocha had little time to speak and sent a message to the clubs, many of whom have shown hostility toward the so-called Rubialista faction within the RFEF in recent years. The message spoke of unity and dialogue, according to sources present at the meeting. Some observers suggest that the RFEF executive serving in LaLiga could emerge as a future candidate for the RFEF presidency, building a base among clubs. Time will reveal the truth.
World Cup 2030
The Extremaduran leader emphasized the need for football leaders to live up to their responsibilities and urged all Spanish football stakeholders to unite for a successful World Cup in 2030.
Spain is a great country, Rocha asserted, and a World Cup in 2030 will be organized with the involvement of all clubs, referees, and players. In his remarks after a very cordial and pleasant meeting, he urged unity to deliver what could become the finest World Cup in history.
Tebas, pleased with Rubiales’s departure in the immediate sense, sought to build bridges as well. He praised current RFEF initiatives, including support for autistic children at the start of the Spain-Scotland match in Seville and the federation’s sustainability efforts.
Ultimately, everyone seems to be striving to get along, or at least to show it convincingly. Time will tell how this alignment unfolds.