Luis Rubiales: "The football world knows what we do"

The president of the RFEF, Luis Rubiales, participated this Tuesday in the Desayunos Deportivos organized by the Europa Press news agency, in an event in which he wanted to praise the daily effort that is made since he arrived, in 2018, to the Federation; and stated that he is eager to continue working for Spanish football. "It was difficult to arrive as an outsider and I owe it to the most modest football, which saw me as a person with enough strength to give a boost and a change. The football world knows what we do. There is a lot of work to do, we have made mistakes, but we will continue along the same line. We have put all our efforts into it, the effort made is tremendous".

Rubiales has highlighted, on the other hand, the strength of the joint bid of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine to host the 2030 World Cup. "I am convinced that our bid will be the most powerful," he insisted, in addition to highlighting the tremendous opportunity it represents for our country: "It can generate billions, between 20 and 30 we estimate". Rubiales insisted that he is "working well", in a race in which, he said, "we must have high expectations, but work with a dose of humility, because there are people who are going to make it very difficult for us". "I want to generate that illusion", he remarked.

Rubiales also took advantage of the event to announce the venues for the matches that the Spanish National Team will play in September and November. El Sardinero, in Santander, and the Nuevo José Zorrilla, in Valladolid, will be the venues for these two matches. On September 11, Luis de la Fuente's team will face Cyprus in the Cantabrian capital; and on November 19, they will play at home against Georgia at the Valladolid stadium.

Luis Rubiales also had words for the women's national team, which is currently in Australia to play in the Nations Cup, and expressed his enthusiasm for the World Cup to be played this year, precisely in that country and in New Zealand. It will be with a young squad ("These girls are 17, 18, 19 years old," he insisted), but which has already managed to beat the world number one: the United States and reach sixth place in the FIFA ranking. "We want players who are committed to the national team", he remarked.

Sports Law and First Federation

The president of the RFEF has shelled out different issues on other current topics, answering questions from the moderator of the event as well as from the audience. The issue of the Superliga was discussed and Rubiales was categorical: "I think like the president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin. We have the best competition in the Champions League. It can be improved, but from within football. UEFA represents and has the support of Europe, we have embraced the associative model of sport". In addition, he reflected on the drift of the domestic competition and the need to change the current format to give it a new impetus so that Spanish clubs can compete. "La Liga has been overexposed, there are many televised matches. It is better to look for excellence and uncertainty, to look for that surprise like the one we have with the Copa."

On the new Sports Law, he said that the text "combines progress with moderation". "The best of a law that has been very useful for a long time and that has helped athletes to have a magnificent relationship with the COE has been maintained; and along with that, which will continue, some things have been corrected," he explained.

Rubiales has made, with his answers, an almost complete review of the competitions organized by the Federation: from highlighting the value for the most modest football of the 20 million euros more that are received for the Supercopa, after the change of format; to the situation of the First Federation. On this, Luis Rubiales has been clear: "We must debate and communicate with the clubs, there are different solutions on the table and we will have to take one by exercising our responsibility and our government," he said.

"The majority of the Primera Federación clubs are in favor of economic control and that the Federation should be the one to implement it", he stated, regarding the vote held recently; and he ruled out that there is any kind of "alarm": "Although someone wants to sell that alarm, from the very first moment it was said that it would be an experimental category"