Luis Rubiales will be arrested by the Civil Guard when he sets foot in Spain. Yesterday the former president of the Real Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was in the Dominican Republic when the central operative unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard activated an operation for corruption in business, disloyal administration and money laundering during his stage as president.
The origin of the investigation is in the contract to move the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia signed by Rubiales with Kosmos, the company of ex-footballer Gerard Piqué. After that contract, according to the complaint that started the investigations, abundant commissions could be moved. A good economic amount that, as stated in the complaint, could rise to 40 million.
During the development of the investigation of the Supercopa contracts, the investigator of the case ordered – at the prior request of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office – that the RFEF deliver the major accounting book “at the maximum level of disaggregation”. Analyzing the accounting records, according to sources close to the investigations, a series of new suspicious contracts appeared. One of these contracts is fixed with Kosmos Holding, from Piqué, for the collection of a millionaire commission to bring the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. Rubialeshauria negotiated with the authorities of the Arab country to take 24 million euros, that is, four million for each of the six editions agreed to be played on Saudi territory. The contract established that the Federation would receive 40 million euros for each edition. Investigators were analyzing the dubious contracts until Tuesday; even a day before proceeding with the arrests.
Yesterday, the UCO deployed its agents through several Spanish provinces in search of documentation that the head of the court of inquiry 4 in Majadahonda (Madrid) had previously requested, but had not been given. The Civil Guard broke into the headquarters of the RFEF in Las Rozas (Madrid) – to collect documents from the administration, human resources and legal departments -, at several homes – including the house of Rubiales in Granada – and the La Cartuja stadium in Seville, where the Copa del Rey final is being played after the facilities were renovated thanks to a series of contracts that are also under suspicion.
Two agents from the UCO left the house in the center of Granada of Luis Rubiales late in the morning with two suitcases. Earlier, other colleagues had left the home with numerous boxes. The Civil Guard knew that the former president was not at his home. It is in the Dominican Republic. And according to legal sources he will be arrested when he returns to Spain. Yes, some people from his circle were arrested yesterday during the five years – from 2018 to 2023 – that he was at the head of the RFEF.
One of them is Tomás González Cueto, considered one of Rubiales’ most trusted men. He was his legal advisor. The contract for the transfer of the Super Cup was drawn up by the office external to the RFEF of the detained Cueto. Two more detainees, according to police sources, are the directors of the legal and human resources services of the RFEF, Pedro González Segura and José Javier Giménez, respectively. Among those arrested is also Ángel González Segura, brother of the previous one. He is one of the architects who carried out the works that made it possible to adapt the La Cartuja stadium in Seville, one of the most frequent venues of the Spanish national team recently. The UCO will oversee all contracts related to the works; documents that the RFEF has never wanted to make public under the protection of high confidentiality.
The lawyer Ramón Aravaca, who is a partner in the office of González Cueto, is on the list of those investigated. According to the complaint, Aravaca would have hired a detective agency – through a front-end real estate company – to spy on David Aganzo, president of the main players’ union and public enemy of Rubiales.
Since 2022, Rubiales has had growing legal problems. The shadow of murky affairs within the RFEF was already present when the scandal of the unconsented kiss to the player of the Spanish national team Jennifer Hermoso took place after winning the World Cup in the summer. In a surprising press conference he defended that kiss, said it was for the euphoria of the victory without any sexual motivation, denied all the accusations and refused to resign. In view of the worldwide pressure for the behavior of Rubiales for the kiss and his gestures in front of Queen Letizia, FIFA ended up suspending him.
Hermoso denounced Rubiales for a crime of sexual assault and another of coercion, which has been investigated by the National Court. The judge has considered that there is enough evidence to put him in the dock. The magistrate explained in the resolution with which he concluded the instruction that the erotic purpose or the state of euphoria and agitation experienced as a result of the extraordinary sporting triumph are elements with legal consequences that will have to be assessed in the oral trial before the body in charge of prosecution.
