Divisive former referee Mateu Lahoz has reportedly emerged as a candidate to take over as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Lahoz retired at the end of last season after 30 years as a referee and, according to Marca, has a lot of valuable supporters behind him.
He has the backing of La Liga’s most important clubs, of the league itself, the refereeing body, the Council Superior of Sports and some territorial presidents.
Such strong and plentiful support makes him one of the favourites to replace Luis Rubiales, who stepped down due to the controversy caused by his kiss on Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the Women’s World Cup this summer.
Due to his experience refereeing at international level, Lahoz is believed to have good relations with other associations.
Furthermore, he is said to have had many disagreements with Rubiales, meaning his election as president could mark a significant break from the association’s recent past.
Despite his popularity heading into the election race, Lahoz was seen as a divisive figure during his career as a referee.
His final season as an official was particularly controversial as he faced a great deal of criticism during Argentina’s penalty shootout win against Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-finals last year.
Lahoz broke the record for most yellow cards in a World Cup match by booking 18 people in that contest. Upon his return to La Liga action, he sparked further controversy by handing out the most cards in a La Liga match as Barcelona and Espanyol played out a draw.
Lahoz, 46, is not the only candidate to replace Rubiales, but a full list of names is yet to emerge.
There remains time for the interested parties to declare their intention to run as the next election is expected in March.
