“Let no one be afraid that Spain is not broken by this,” he said in reference to the regional teams of ‘rooted sports’
MADRID, 8 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Franco, affirmed this Tuesday in Congress that the Government intends to “strengthen” the national team “of whatever sport it is” and that Spain “is not going to break” due to the regional selections of ‘rooted sports’ included in the future Sports Law.
“What the CSD intends is to strengthen the Spanish team of any sport, and defends the obligation for athletes to attend the call of the Spanish football team and whatever sport it is,” said the Secretary of State for Sport in the Committee on Culture and Sports of the Lower House.
In this sense, José Manuel Franco once again offered himself as a “mediator” so that the 15 internationals return to the call for the women’s soccer team due to their discrepancies with the national coach, Jorge Vilda.
“In the Council we have been tremendously respectful. We worked so that there was some type of agreement and that there were no sanctions and there have not been. I hope that these 15 soccer players can return and, if mediation is necessary to unblock the matter, we will do it” , assured the person in charge of the CSD.
Regarding the possible participation of the regional teams in international competitions, José Manuel Franco recalled the obligation that the regional federations must be integrated into a national one and that the CSD must endorse said representation. “This precept does not put the integrity of Spanish sport at risk, but rather enriches it,” he pointed out.
“Let no one be afraid that Spain is not broken by this. We intend that sport be a cultural and identity manifestation and this Government has to leave a space open to very specific assumptions,” he added.
Regarding the statement made public by the F League on the increase in arbitration fees, Franco recalled that the CSD has been the “cause” that there can be a professional women’s soccer league and that it can be developed with a “minimum of dignity” .
“The mediation work has prevented the referees’ strike from being prolonged. If one of the parties does not comply with the rest of the agreement, we are not responsible. If we have to mediate again, we will do it as many times as necessary, always seeking the benefit of the Spanish football,” he commented.
On the other hand, Franco explained that the Council “has entered numerous complaints”, including those filed against the president of the RFEF, Luis Rubiales, requested the “presumption of innocence” towards the director and denied any kind of favored treatment by not submit them to the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD).
“The CSD works according to the rule of subordination of the administration to the jurisdiction. There are no valid profiles: we must comply with the law. We act and will act in accordance with the law within the established deadlines and free from any type of interference or pressure That is the reason why the CSD did not take the case to the TAD,” he said.
He also stressed that the Government of Spain is a “defender of human rights and minorities” and that it will act “in accordance” with what the rest of the countries of the European Union do before the next World Cup in Qatar. “I could agree with Klopp’s words, but why didn’t anyone say anything and now they do it for reasons of political opportunity?” He questioned the Liverpool manager’s complaint.
Likewise, the Secretary of State for Sport argued that the Government defends its commitment to women’s sport “with facts and with budgets” and that in the new Sports Law the TAD is “maintained”, but that the text tries to match its attributions to the rest of European organisms. “We cannot make a clean slate and everything that reaches the CSD has to go to the TAD,” he said.
In his previous speech, Franco has recalled the three strategic axes to which the European funds, which already reach 102 million, will be allocated: the digitization of the sports ecosystem, the ecological transition of the facilities, and the Social Plan focused on the development of equality.
He also highlighted the legislative drive that is being carried out by the CSD with the processing of the Project for the new Sports Law, the approval of the Organic Law on the Fight against Doping, and the Royal Decree on High-Level Athletes ( DAN).
In addition, it has influenced the implementation of the Team Spain programs, aimed at improving the preparation of athletes who are going to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the equality policies developed by the CSD.
Likewise, Franco explained that 128 million euros have already been allocated between the autonomous communities from these funds intended to improve the Spanish sports system, which represents 43 percent of the total of these items.
Regarding the CSD’s global budget for 2023, he recalled that it amounts to 375 million euros, which represents an increase of 19.5 percent compared to last year, “a new historical milestone in budgetary matters for Spanish sport” .
In this sense, he recalled that the Government’s commitment was to allocate 1,000 million throughout the legislature, a figure that if one takes into account next year’s budget already amounts to 1,149 million euros.
