December 16, (THEWILL) – Rafael Louzan has been elected President of the Spainish Football Federation on Monday at the general assembly.
The 57-year-old head of Galicia’s regional football association finished with 90 votes, defeating Salvador Gomar, the Valencian FA chief, who received 43 votes in a two-candidate race.
The election comes after more than a year of turbulence following the downfall of former president Luis Rubiales, who is currently facing a corruption investigation and awaits trial in February for sexual assault.
Rubiales was removed after an unsolicited kiss from player Jenni Hermoso during the 2023 Women’s World Cup celebrations in Sydney. His successor, Pedro Rocha, was also banned for two years due to irregularities.
Louzan’s legal background presents potential challenges for the Federation.
In May 2022, he was found guilty of malfeasance in a contract case involving a football pitch improvement in Morana.
Although cleared of fraud charges, he was initially barred from holding public office for seven years. Louzan has appealed the sentence, which allows him to run for the RFEF presidency, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear his appeal on 5 February 2024.
The Spanish government had previously established a special oversight committee in April last year to monitor the Federation until new elections could be held.
Louzan’s election represents a critical moment for Spanish football, with the Federation hoping to restore credibility and move beyond the recent scandals that have damaged its reputation both nationally and internationally.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
