Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) President Miguel Cardenal announced the "possibility of making an adaptation" to Spain's "Real Decreto," which "has regulated Spain's distribution of funds from sports betting" since '13, according to the EFE. That amendment, "intended to support general sports activity," has meant that of the 10% -- up to a maximum of €4M ($5M) per year -- that is allocated to the Spanish Football League, €750,000 ($944,700) goes to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Cardenal said that the CSD is "currently studying the possibility of not extending this measure, but making a change." He said, "We are studying the formula. In 2014, for reasons that escape my knowledge, it is becoming impossible to give the RFEF its subsidy because it is doing everything possible to not receive this money. We are doing everything possible to give it to them" (EFE, 10/3). In Madrid, Enrique Marín wrote RFEF President Ángel María Villar's "power is absolute." Villar "surprisingly does not want the percentage of what is raised from betting that is owed to his federation." The "excuse he uses for denying it -- and he has not answered repeated calls from the CSD -- is that it is not much money." Nevertheless, this quantity, which is €750,000 this year, is "not debatable." The "true reason why Villar does not want this money is to avoid the RFEF being subject to a transparency law passed in '13 to fight corruption." Per that law, Villar "would be obligated to publish on the federation's website information including his salary." The RFEF "possesses its own assets, and according to its statutes, is non-profit." The recent success of the Spanish national team -- which won Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 -- "has served not only to fill the accounts, but to entrench the RFEF against other sports organizations" (EL CONFIDENCIAL, 10/6).
