MADRID: Spain's Supreme Court has upheld an appeal by the new president of the country's scandal-ridden soccer federation (RFEF), Rafael Louzan, against his conviction on charges of malfeasance and a seven-year ban.
The decision saves the RFEF from further embarrassment and the need for a new election.
Louzan was elected in December despite a previous lower court verdict against him after more than a year of turmoil at the football governing body following the downfall of former chief Luis Rubiales and his right-hand man Pedro Rocha.
The Supreme Court, which had taken up Louzan's appeal before his election, said on Thursday it had annulled the lower court ruling that barred Louzan from holding public office for seven years in a case involving a contract to improve a football pitch in the northwestern city of Morana in 2011.
The contractor undertook improvements not initially foreseen and after the works were completed, the provincial authority of Pontevedra, led by Louzan, called a new tender with the intention of awarding it to the company that had already done the job.
The Supreme Court said in its ruling that the decision to grant a new subsidy for works not initially foreseen did not constitute the crime of malfeasance as the authorities were already required to pay for the works done.
The Spanish government had said that were the Supreme Court to confirm Louzan's previous conviction it would seek new elections at the soccer federation.
Louzan, who is leading the RFEF as Spain gears up to co-host the 2030 World Cup, did not immediately answer a request for comment.
The court ruling comes in the same week as Louzan's predecessor Rubiales went on trial at Madrid's High Court, where he stands accused of sexual assault against player Jenni Hermoso after kissing her on the lips at the 2023 Women's World Cup awards ceremony in Australia.
He is also accused of attempting to coerce Hermoso - with the help of three other men - into declaring that the kiss had been consensual.
The episode eclipsed Spain's first women's World Cup victory and has triggered a national backlash against sexism in sport. Rubiales denies those criminal charges.
Spain's Supreme Court clears new soccer chief of malfeasance
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Spain's Supreme Court clears new soccer chief of malfeasance
- The decision saves the RFEF from further embarrassment and the need for a new election
- The Supreme Court said in its ruling that the decision to grant a new subsidy for works not initially foreseen did not constitute the crime of malfeasance
Hosts Morocco off to winning start at Africa Cup of Nations
- Soufiane Rahimi had a penalty saved in a frustrating first half for much-fancied Morocco
- Win saw Morocco, Africa’s best team in FIFA rankings in 11th place, to extend world-record winning run to 19 consecutive matches
RABAT: Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El-Kaabi scored second-half goals as hosts Morocco got their Africa Cup of Nations bid off to a winning start by beating minnows Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game on Sunday.
Soufiane Rahimi had a penalty saved in a frustrating first half for much-fancied Morocco, but Diaz fired home from inside the area 10 minutes after the interval at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in the capital Rabat.
Substitute El-Kaabi then got the second with a stunning overhead kick, and the victory on a wet and cold night sets the Atlas Lions up for the potentially tougher tests to come in Group A against Mali and Zambia.
The result also allowed Morocco, Africa’s best team in the FIFA rankings in 11th place, to extend their world-record winning run to 19 consecutive matches.
The game was played out before a crowd of 60,180, with Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay Hassan — who appeared on the pitch ahead of kick-off — and FIFA president Gianni Infantino among those in attendance.
Morocco’s star man and captain Achraf Hakimi also ended up watching the entire game from the bench, with coach Walid Regragui preserving the Paris Saint-Germain full-back who has not played since suffering an ankle injury with his club at the start of November.
It looked set to be a long night for Comoros when Morocco won a penalty in the 10th minute as playmaker Diaz was tripped inside the box by Iyad Mohamed.
But Rahimi’s spot-kick was kept out by the legs of Yannick Pandor as the Comoros goalkeeper dived to his right, and the visitors then succeeded in thwarting their more illustrious hosts for the remainder of the first half.
- Stunning overhead kick -
However Morocco, who also saw veteran center-back Romain Saiss come off injured early on, succeeded in breaking down their opponents after half-time.
Comoros, the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago who are 108th in the world rankings, had their resistance ended as the opening goal arrived on 55 minutes.
Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui, starting at right-back with Hakimi not yet quite fully fit, picked up the ball on the right side of the penalty area and squared for Real Madrid’s Spanish-born number 10 Diaz to score.
Morocco, who had seen Neil El Aynaoui almost break the deadlock just before that, then saw space open up although Comoros had a chance of their own as Rafiki Said was denied when clean through on goal.
Mazraoui forced a good save from Pandor before El-Kaabi, of Greek giants Olympiakos, lit up the occasion by meeting a cross in from the left by Anass Salah-Eddine with a magnificent overhead bicycle kick to make it 2-0.
Morocco’s next game will be on Friday against Mali, who begin their campaign by taking on Zambia in Casablanca on Monday.
Elsewhere on Monday, South Africa face Angola in Marrakech before Mohamed Salah’s Egypt — the record seven-time African champions chasing a first title since 2010 — get their bid up and running against outsiders Zimbabwe in Agadir in Group B.
This latest edition of the Cup of Nations is the first to start in one year and end in another, with the final to take place in Rabat on January 18.
