Seven arrests
Raid! Offices of the Spanish FA raided
According to media reports, the Spanish police have searched the offices of the national soccer association (RFEF) in Madrid and other premises in the capital and other cities, arresting a total of seven people. The state TV station RTVE and other media reported on Wednesday, citing the Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) police unit, that it was a case of suspected irregular contracts.
The authorities confirmed the searches and arrests when asked by Deutsche Presse-Agentur. A statement from the RFEF was not initially available. According to RTVE, the raids were carried out at the request of a court of inquiry in Majadahonda near Madrid, which has been investigating several agreements and contracts concluded by the RFEF during the five-year term of office of Luis Rubiales, who resigned as head of the association in September in the wake of the kissing scandal.
Suspicion of corruption and money laundering
These contracts include the awarding of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia, which Rubiales signed in collaboration with former Barcelona professional and current businessman Gerard Piqué. The alleged offenses include corruption in business transactions, unfair administration and money laundering.
According to media reports, a total of eleven searches were carried out in various regions of Spain on Wednesday. These included Granada in the south of the country, where Rubiales has his main residence, it was reported. Some of the raids were still ongoing in the early afternoon.
Rubiales banned by FIFA
Rubiales resigned from his position as RFEF president in September after kissing national team player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth immediately after Spain's World Cup victory in Australia last summer, causing worldwide outrage. The 46-year-old was banned for three years by FIFA, among others. Rubiales is also under criminal investigation in Spain for the incident.
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