Rafael Louzanpresident of the Galician Federation; Sergio Merchanof the ExtremaduraAnd Salvador Gomarof the Valencianpresented the necessary endorsements to run for the presidency of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
All three submitted their applications before 5 p.m., by which time the deadline to do so had expired. We will now have to wait until December 16 to find out which of them will succeed Pedro Rocha at the head of Spanish football.
Rafael Louzán presented 82 supporters, with which he would be assured of controlling the Assembly made up of 141 members, which would be enough to be the next president of the Federation. The alternative was Merchán, to guarantee continuity and domination of the territories, but at the last minute the name of Gomar appeared.
Gomar’s objective, according to statements to EFE, is to produce “real change” within the RFEF and to talk about football again after a turbulent period marked by judicial and non-sporting issues.
Gomar (Valencia, 1965) has been president of the FFCV since 2018 and before that he was its general secretary for three years. In addition, for eleven years he was coordinator of the football agent license and director of the football player agent course at the RFEF, according to the Valencian federation website.
The situation of Louzan
A few weeks ago, the National Court ratified the decision of the Administrative Sports Tribunal (TAD) to disqualify Pedro Rocha for the next two years, accused of corruption. Faced with this judgment, the territorial federations favored the candidacy of Rafael Louzán, president of the Galician Football Federation.
However, if his candidacy is successful, the government will denounce him because he is accused of prevarication. According to El País, the Superior Sports Council (CSD) does not make “positive” evaluations of the statutes and is governed by the rules established by sports law: no accused candidate can present themselves.
Louzán’s legal past adds an element of tension to his rise. In 2021, he was convicted of Provincial Court of Pontevedra by procrastination in the allocation of works on a football field while he was president of Provincial Council of Pontevedra and of Provincial PP.
Rafael Louzán was sentenced to two years in prison and seven years of ban for employment or public office for prevarication and fraud in the renovation of a football field in Moraña.
