“A candidate who is not from within has a very difficult time accessing the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation. It is a closed world. And the same thing happens in a territorial federation. From within they are passing the buck. Formally they are democratic structures, but there is internal control that makes it practically impossible to launch a successful campaign from the outside.
This is the explanation of the former president of a football federation when asked about the widespread idea that the RFEF is managed through a clientelistic network, understanding as such the network of favors and complicities that promote continuity and immobility. At stake, power and money, of course.
To certify that reality assumed for a long time and that goes beyond the era Rubialesyou just need to check how many years some territorial presidents have been governing. Oscar Fle Latorreof the Aragonese Federation, since 1992; Marcelino S. Mate Martínez, from Castilian-Leonese, since 1996; José Miguel Monje Carrillofrom Murcia, since 2004.
They would be cases of extreme prolongation, but they give an idea of the good remuneration that the position entails and the complexity involved in reforming or changing the structures that direct the Spanish football. It is worth remembering that before Luis Rubiales there was a Angel Maria Villar who presided over the RFEF for 29 years. And that a president is usually succeeded by a vice president.
Please a group
The highest Spanish football organization, which is a private entity although of public utility, elects its president through an assembly of 140 members. But its constitution depends largely on the 19 territorial presidents, hence the candidate to be the new Rubiales must above all satisfy this small group.
It is not so difficult if you are inside and know the tunnels of the institution. If not, then what happens Iker Casillas, whose interest in unseating Rubiales in the last elections took the form of a global probe and little else. Rubiales won without opposition, like Villar so many other times in the past. “It’s all very Kremlin and from within it is very easy to dominate all this marketing,” says a person well versed in the ins and outs of the federation.
The reform that was undertaken a few years ago expanded the number of assembly members and consolidated the clientele structure. Before they did not exceed 90. More votes, more democracy? Not quite. The 19 presidents and the head of the RFEF have a fixed vote, the rest, up to 140, are elected. Of them, the vote of non-professionals abounds: in clubs (29), players (19), coaches (10) and referees (7). In total, 60%. It is relevant because non-professionals are those whom the presidents of the respective federations can control effectively. The professional clubs, on the other hand, remained in the minority, just 11 representatives from First Division and 9 from Second A.
“If three clubs and a couple of players depend on your jurisdiction, you can win them over by supporting their campaigns from the federation. You go to a player from Europa CF or Cornellà, to say the least, who you know may be similar to your philosophy, and you put all your effort into getting him voted for,” explains the former federation president.
Revenue jump
For all this, to exercise control, money is needed and the territorial ones are well lubricated by the RFEF, which is entering more and more. A total of 347.8 million euros in the fiscal year 2022. A substantial jump compared to Villar’s last year. And where does it come from? Well, from television rights, sponsorships, advertising, federative services (which include arbitration licenses or club fees), and income from national teams and the organization of competitions. Of those 347.8 million, 214.2 are distributed in subsidies, the majority for clubs and associations, followed by federations. In this sense, Rubiales has known how to take care of the territorial women and their barons.
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Under Rubiales, the presidents of the Federation obtain annual salaries of between 85,000 and 150,000 euros. To the Catalan one, Joan Soteras, about 120,000 are awarded. In addition, substantial expenses for traveling to Madrid to attend committees. And the possibility of trips with the national team.
It is not surprising, then, that every time there are elections, there are problems and challenges, at least in Catalonia. Soteras, who did not want to speak to this newspaper for this report, inherited the position in 2018 from Andreu Subies, accused of corruption and who had previously made him vice president.