José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes (Valencia, 55 years old), former Minister of Culture and Sports, takes over the presidency of the Higher Sports Council (CSD) and the Secretary of State for Sports following the resignation of the previous President Víctor Francos last Thursday. The politician was also appointed this Tuesday as the new Secretary of State for Sports after the Council of Ministers met on Tuesday at the Moncloa Palace.
After the departure of Francos, whose behavior and mistakes did not convince the newly appointed Minister of Culture, Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, the appointment of Uribes is more political than technical and is supported by President Pedro Sánchez, whose government he was part of in 2020. familiar and 2021. During these years he was Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum, the Teatro Real, the National Library, the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Thyssen Museum, as well as other Spanish cultural institutions. Since October 2021, he has been Spain's permanent ambassador to UNESCO, a position that the socialist Miquel Iceta will now take over after his appointment at the beginning of December.
As minister, Uribes, together with the then president of the CSD, Irene Lozano, led the negotiations on the so-called Viana Pact, which achieved an institutional peace (which, however, did not last for too long) between LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). ). The agreement, concluded in April 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, allowed the Professional Football League, chaired by Javier Tebas, to donate 54% more to the Football Association and other sports associations, a kind of rescue for the sport after the suspension of the competitions due of Covid-19 and a roadmap for a return to competition.
Now Uribes, who will report directly to Minister Alegría, will face another institutional crisis, that of the RFEF itself, after former president Luis Rubiales resigned after kissing soccer player Jenni Hermoso while gleeful about the The women's team celebrated their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. Pedro Rocha, interim president, has the responsibility of organizing the presidential elections in the first quarter of 2024 and renewing the structures of the federation.
During his short term in office (just under six months), Víctor Francos promoted the signing of a tripartite agreement between the CSD, the RFEF and the footballers (represented by the Futpro union) aimed at promoting football played by women. The main points of the agreement are the renewal of the association (with a greater presence of women in the assembly and in institutional positions), the development of protocols against sexual harassment or the protection of maternity and breastfeeding.
Women's football teams in Spain are undergoing a profound revolution and are striving to make the professionalization of football players a fact and not just a formality. These objectives must now be taken over by Rodríguez Uribes, who must also ensure that the electoral process meets the deadlines estimated and desired by the government. That is, they should take place as soon as possible and the call should not be delayed, as seems to be the case with Rocha, who would try to complete his own candidacy with the support of territorial men to continue as president.
The year 2024, which is about to begin, is also the year of the European Championships (from June 14th to July 14th in Germany) and the Olympic Games (from July 26th to August 11th). Spain, on the other hand, together with Portugal and Morocco, is involved in organizing the 2030 World Cup, an unprecedented sporting event since the Barcelona Games in 1992 and the World Cup ten years earlier.
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