La Liga clubs and the Spanish national team face bans from FIFA and UEFA competitions after the government stepped in to oversee the running of the country’s football federation.
Real Madrid and Barcelona face expulsion from next season’s UEFA Champions League due to attempts by the Spanish government to interfere with the running of the RFEF. The Spanish Football Federation has been rocked by yet another scandal in recent weeks and has yet to name a new permanent president following the departure of disgraced Luis Rubiales.
José Manuel Rodríguez-Uribes, president of Spain’s Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), has sent a letter to both UEFA and FIFA explaining why government intervention is necessary as the RFEF battles allegations of corruption. However, this has not gone down well with European or world governing bodies, who believe a line has been crossed and that Spanish football must now face the consequences, AS has learned.
UEFA and FIFA had already sent Rodríguez-Uribes a joint letter last week, signed by general secretaries Mattias Grafström and Theodor Theodoridis, questioning why the CSD felt the need to interfere in the RFEF’s affairs and warning that they would not stand for any form. political interference.
Friday is the deadline for CSD to answer the following questions from UEFA and FIFA
What could happen next?
The governing bodies could decide that the CSD’s explanation is satisfactory, which would mean that UEFA and FIFA are monitoring the situation closely but refraining from taking any action against them.
Alternatively, it could be interpreted to mean that there was political interference and that the RFEF was effectively taken over by the government.
In the latter of the two cases, it could have serious consequences for Spanish football. The RFEF would almost immediately suspend both UEFA and FIFA, and Spain’s representatives would be banned from both bodies’ competitions.
Real Madrid and Barça in danger of UEFA Champions League expulsion
This means that Spain would not take part in the 2024 European Championship or the Olympics (neither men’s nor women’s teams), and Spanish clubs would not be able to participate in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League or Conference League next season. The FIFA Club World Cup to be held in the United States in the summer of 2025.
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