The general assembly of Spain’s football federation (RFEF) elected Rafael Louzan (57) as president on Monday after more than a year of turmoil at the scandal-ridden body following the downfall of former chief Luis Rubiales and his right-hand man Pedro Rocha.
Head of Galicia’s regional FA, Louzan received 90 votes to beat Valencian FA chief Salvador Gomar who garnered only 43 votes in a two-way race following a last-minute withdrawal of Extremadura FA’s head Sergio Merchan.
Rubiales has been the target of a corruption investigation and is due to stand trial in February for sexual assault over his unsolicited kiss of player Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Sydney. Rocha, who briefly succeeded him, was handed a two-year ban for irregularities.
Last April, the Spanish government created a special committee to oversee the governing body until it held new elections.
Louzan, too, has had legal problems that could plague the RFEF’s hopes of starting with a clean slate.
In May 2022, he was found guilty of malfeasance in a case involving a contract to improve a football pitch in the city of Morana. Although he was cleared of fraud charges, the sentence barred him from holding public office for seven years.
Louzan has denied wrongdoing and appealed, which allowed him to run for RFEF presidency. The Supreme Court is due to hear the appeal on February 5.
