The decision of the RFEF
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has taken the decision to remove Albert Luque from his position as director of the men’s football team. This measure has also been applied to Rubén Rivera, head of the marketing department of the federative body. These actions have been taken after the National Prosecutor’s Office requested a year and six months in prison for the two defendants, for an alleged crime of coercion on Jennifer Hermoso.
Regarding the presumption of innocence
The RFEF has expressed its respect for the presumption of innocence of Luque and Rivera, until there is a firm judicial sentence. Despite this, he has removed them from their positions as a preventive measure. This decision is part of the action plan announced by the federative body, which includes a forensic audit and aims to clear all responsibilities that may arise from irregular conduct and decisions that occurred during the Luis Rubiales period at the head of the Federation.
Antecedents i context
These dismissals are added to other movements aimed at the purification of the organism. Last March 17, he removed the employees who were being investigated by the Civil Guard as part of Operation Brody, which investigates irregular payments and contracts during the Rubiales stage. In addition, the RFEF terminated the contract with GC Legal, the firm led by Tomás González Cueto, who acted as external legal advisor.
Both Albert Luque and Rubén Rivera came to the Federation during the mandate of Rubiales, with whom they now share a legal case. The decisions taken by the RFEF occur at a critical moment, with the management of the organization in the hands of a management chaired by Pedro Rocha, who was Rubiales’ economic vice-president and in charge of leading the transition towards new elections .
Statements and judicial context
In their statements before the judge, both Luque and Rivera denied the accusations against them. Luque stated that he did not participate in the pressures that the player Jenni Hermoso reported to have suffered from members of the RFEF. Rivera, for his part, distanced himself from the crime of coercion attributed to him by the judge, assuring that no one from the Federation insisted that he speak with Hermoso.
