Rafael Louzan is the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after being elected on Monday.
The election comes just five days after FIFA confirmed that Spain will be one of six countries that will stage the 2030 World Cup alongside Morocco and Portugal, with three one-off matches held in South America.
Louzan, 57, who represents the Galician Football Federation and has been a member of the RFEF’s executive committee since December 2019, beat the only other candidate, Salvador Gomar.
The term runs for four years. Louzan was allowed to run despite having been handed a seven-year ban by a provincial court from holding public office for misconduct during his tenure as president of the Pontevedra Provincial Council.
He has appealed that ruling to Spain’s supreme court.
The RFEF has endured a period of instability since the unsolicited kiss by former president Luis Rubiales on player Jenni Hermoso following Spain‘s win over England in the final at the Women’s World Cup in August 2023.
Rubiales resigned shortly after and will stand trial next year. The crisis at the RFEF worsened after his successor, Pedro Rocha, was suspended in July for two years by Spain’ Sports Council (CSD) due to a serious infraction.
The Spanish government formed a special committee to oversee the country’s football federation “in response to the crisis in the organisation” which led to a warning from FIFA that a new RFEF president must be elected before the end of 2024 or Spain could risk losing the right to stage 2030 World Cup games.
