Barcelona and Real Madrid presidents Joan Laporta and Florentino Perez ‘resign from Spanish FA board’ ahead of the campaign to elect a successor to ousted president Luis Rubiales

• The Barcelona and Real Madrid chiefs submitted letters to resign from the board 
• Both resignations come as the Spanish FA prepares for a presidential election
• It’s a three-team title race… Toney could lead Arsenal to glory: It’s All Kicking Off 

Barcelona and Real Madrid presidents Joan Laporta and Florentino Perez have reportedly resigned from their positions on the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) board ahead of a presidential election.

The RFEF is currently being run by a management committee led by interim president Pedro Rocha following Luis Rubiales’ resignation in September.

Rubiales resigned after coming under mounting pressure for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips without consent following Spain’s Women’s World Cup final win over England in August.

The 46-year-old has since received a three-year ban from FIFA and remains under criminal investigation in Spain, while he denies wrongdoing.

A date has yet to be set for the RFEF to hold its presidential elections, although the expectation is for a vote to take place at the start of 2024.

Florentino Perez, left, and Joan Laporta, right, have reportedly resigned from the RFEF board

RFEF has been run by a management committee since  Luis Rubiales’ resignation as president

Pedro Rocha has served as interim president of the committee ahead of new elections

Your browser does not support iframes.

As reported by El Confidencial, Laporta and Perez have submitted their resignations from the management committee.

The presidents of Spain’s two biggest clubs submitted letters confirming their decision to step down, claiming their decision was to ‘not interfere in the process of elections’.

The president of CENAFE – Spain’s national school for football coaches – Miguel Angel Galan has claimed the resignations could be in response to a legal complaint he has filed against the management committee.

Galan lodged a complaint in September, insisting the committee was required under RFEF statutes to immediately call an election following Rubiales’ resignation.

His complaint has since been refereed to Spain’s Administrative Sports Court, with a verdict yet to be announced.

‘I believe that the legal services of Real Madrid and Barcelona have advised their presidents to resign from their positions when they received my burofax,’ Galan told El Confidencial.

‘In which I warned them that not calling elections for the presidency of the RFEF, thus failing to comply with its statutes, could lead to a possible crime of administrative prevarication.

‘In this way, I have free rein to file a criminal complaint for this alleged crime against Pedro Rocha and the 26 members of his management committee.’

Rocha represented the RFEF in a meeting with Morocco and Portugal over the 2030 World Cup

The RFEF has faced upheaval since Rubiales was forced to resign after kissing Jenni Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup in August

Spain’s Superior Sports Council are reportedly devising election rules ahead of a campaign, with the management committee led by Rocha in temporary charge.

Rocha had been the RFEF representative at a meeting with Moroccan and Portuguese officials last month, with the three nations confirming their joint bid to stage the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA confirmed the bid is the sole contender to host the tournament.

Perez and Laporta’s resignations continues the turbulence in the RFEF since the final of the Women’s World Cup, where Spain beat England 1-0 in Australia.

RFEF general secretary Andreu Camps was sacked in September as part of a deal reached with women’s national team players to prevent a boycott of their Nations League matches.

The organisation had committed to a restructure as part of the agreement with players.

Integrity director Miguel Garcia Caba and communications director Pablo Garcia Cuervo have since left the RFEF.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Read Full Article