Luis Rubiales has shown that he is not afraid of anybody
RFEF president Luis Rubiales gained international recognition when he unceremoniously fired Spain manager Julen Lopetegui just before the beginning of the World Cup after the former Barcelona goalkeeper signed a contract with Real Madrid without the consent of the federation.
The ex-Levante defender has gained a reputation for being tough on his subordinates, especially those who go behind his back. Julen Lopetegui faced his fury before leading his Spain side into a World Cup, and now, La Liga president Javier Tebas is being disciplined by Rubiales.
"Rubiales said, “Tebas spoke to everyone except the people he had to speak to. It’s a total lack of respect, unfaithful and incomprehensible.I haven’t seen the contract, so I can’t say much but I will say this: the FIFA president protects domestic competition and taking competition somewhere else represents an invasion of that country.[Tebas] has signed an agreement that it is not up to him to sign. What he has signed is worthless. It means nothing without our authorisation, so we’ll see what happens to this game.”"
Rubiales no-nonsense attitude is helping Spanish football now, unlike the time when he sacked Julen Lopetegui. The fans have been protesting against the La Liga’s decision to move the newly created Catalan derby to the United States.
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According to Javier Tebas, this decision is inspired by the fact that the fans of both Barcelona and Girona united to protest against the suppression of the Catalan independence movement by the Spanish government last season.
So, in order to keep politics out of the game, the La Liga is moving the game to USA, where the fans are not expected to openly make a political statement. While Tebas’ intentions are good, it is economically nonviable for many fans.
Also, according to the RFEF, the signing of any contract with regard to changing the venue of game in a domestic competition is illegal. The players and the clubs are also opposed to the idea to travelling to another continent to play a domestic game.
It remains to be seen whether Javier Tebas keeps his job, especially considering that he has made several controversial statements in the past, most notably, his comments on Neymar’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and rumours linking Luka Modrić with a move to Inter Milan.
But it has become clear that Luis Rubiales is a champion of the wishes of the supporters, and it is a good sign that he has taken up the cause of the fans, who are the people who keep football alive and breathing.