Spanish Football Federation Head Threatens To Pull La Roja Out Of Euro

Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Ángel María Villar has requested the suspension of the RFEF presidential election due to "government interference," according to Joaquín Maroto of AS. Villar is, "like he did in '08, threatening with pulling Spain out of the Euro." In '08 FIFA President Sepp Blatter came to Spain, called a press conference, "issued an ultimatum to the government and won." This time, "with FIFA in disarray," it is yet to be seen what will happen. It was reported that the RFEF informed Spain's National Court that its legal team will claim that FIFA statutes have been violated. The documentation sent by the RFEF to the court includes a letter from then FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, sent to former Spanish State Secretary for Sport Jaime Lissavetzky, "as well as other cases in which the governments of Greece, Portugal, Poland and Iran had to bend to the wishes of FIFA" (AS, 2/1).