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FIFA has sent a letter to RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) warning that they could be left out of the next World Cup over the corruption scandal involving Ángel María Villar, Spanish newspaper El País reports. Villar, president of RFEF since 1988, is facing allegations relating to practices for hiring staff and awarding contracts. The same letter warns that interference from the Spanish state could lead to Spain being suspended as an associated member of the organisation and the national team being expelled from all competitions.

The warning comes after Spain's CSD (National Sports Council) asked RFEF to repeat its May presidential election. The CSD presented an appeal for review to the TAD (Administrative Court of Sport). The court then, based on the wiretaps of Operation Soule (which Villar is implicated in), decided in favour of repeating the election. The decision later rose to Spain's Council of State, responsible for the final decision.

This intervention by CSD in an already completed election process is, for FIFA, governmental interference which puts RFEF's autonomy at risk.

Villar is still officially president, but has the corruption case hanging over him and is out of jail on bail (link in Catalan). The acting president is Juan Luis Larrea, the oldest member of RFEF, leading the body internally during the cautionary suspension imposed on Villar.

According to the judge, Ángel María Villar put together a "framework" which allowed for the diversion of millions of euros of public and private Federation funds. Moreover, the magistrate says that the president established "patronage both in the hiring of staff, which go principally to family members, as in the alleged arbitrary adjudication of contracts for the supply and providing of services to businesses linked to family members".

The Federation's next step to try to avoid the Spanish national team being eliminated from the 2018 Russia World Cup and any other FIFA competitions will reportedly be a meeting with the Spanish minister for Education and Sports, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo.

"Spain will win the World Cup"

The commotion which has arisen over the possible suspension of the Spanish team from the next World Cup in Russia has reached prime minister Mariano Rajoy. After the last European Council meeting in Brussels, the Spanish president appeared before the media to try to calm the public: "I'm not contemplating the scenario of Spain not going to the World Cup. Not only will it go, but it will win, which is something different".

Rajoy also dispelled the rumour that the central government had received information about the possibility of being expelled from international competitions. "The minister hasn't received any message from FIFA, just a letter from some people from the organisation asking for a meeting", said the prime minister before saying that "the government's behaviour has been exemplary and both the minister and the CSD have our full support".