El Sports Administrative Court has become an active protagonist of our sport. If for a long time he has been an almost invisible part of what was happening around the sport, now his role has taken on an absolutely decisive role. Many voices from various federations wonder the motive and why of this twist in the script and the connections that the aforementioned court may have and the Spanish sports establishments.
Right now, in the hands of the TAD is the possible disqualification of Pedro Rocha as president of the RFEF. Despite having the explicit support of federated football (ratified in the last elections), LaLiga and the F League, the current president of the Football Federation could be removed from his position by the TAD imminently.
The fact that many of the reasons for which you can be sanctioned are a consequence of executing instructions received directly from the Higher Sports Council (such as the obligation to dismiss the previous secretary general, Andrew Fieldsdismissal that Camps himself signed as “compliant”) has caused a lot of concern and misgivings, mainly in the RFEF (as is logical) but also in other federations.
A relevant (and worrying) issue is the possible connection that some of the components of the TAD may have with Tomás González Cueto, former external advisor of the RFEF and one of Luis Rubiales’s right hands, who was abruptly removed from the Federation by Rocha, at the request of the former president of the CSD. Some sources warn that “Cueto’s influence on the TAD sanctioning file against Pedro Rocha cannot be ruled out. And Cueto knows this body, of which he was a member, perfectly.”
The concern over these connections and the consequent conflict of interest that may exist, in the face of a decision as far-reaching as the disqualification of the president of the RFEF, are evident throughout the football environment. In the summary of the case investigated by Judge Delia Rodrigo in the Court of Instruction No. 4 of Majadahonda it appears that Tomás González Cueto tried to convince the general director of sports of the CSD, Fernando Molinero, so that the TAD did him a favor. The summary literally says: “In a telephone call between Cueto and Molinero it appears that Cueto has asked Molinero to convince a third party and announces that Guillermo [se refiere a De Blas Bados, secretario del TAD] is the speaker.”
And the UCO adds in its report: “Cueto also tells him that Jaime [refiriéndose de Jaime Caravaca Fontán, vocal del TAD y sobrino de Ramón Caravaca] He has a good relationship with Eva [Eva María Fernández, vocal del TAD] and that they will try to get Alfonso [Alfonso de Ramos Molins, otro vocal del TAD] exercise a bit of “patriarch” and if you feel like it, defend the position that this be fixed and they are not left with the mess for ten more months.
Fernando MolineroAccording to the summary, he tried to find out the intentions of the TAD secretary: “Finally he tells Cueto that he is going to see what he tells him.” [estaría hablando de Guillermo De Blas Bados]but convincing colleagues already knows that it is complicated.”
Many voices wonder (with obvious alarm) whether the members of the TAD have sufficient autonomy, impartiality and absence of ties and interests to carry out a sanction of this caliber. These are its components:
President: Francisco de Miguel Pajuelo
Graduate in Law from the University of Salamanca (1988) and official of the Higher Corps of Lawyers of the Social Security Administration since 1991. He is the author of several works on Sports Law.
He was appointed three months ago after the mandate of Julián Espartero, his predecessor, expired. He was proposed by the CSD, when José Manuel Franco presided. Previously he was secretary and member of the TAD (since 2022). As president, his vote is of quality compared to the rest. Unanimity is not necessary.
Secretary: Guillermo de Blas Bados
Graduated in Law from the University of Deusto and Deputy State Attorney at the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, chaired by Raquel Sánchez.
At 28 years old, he replaced Jaime Caravaca – now a member – as secretary three months ago. Along with Julián Espartero, the mandate of Cristina Pedrosa and Jesús Avezuela, both members, also expired in the TAD. He is a State Attorney and belongs to the same promotion as the current general director of Sports of the CSD, Fernando Molinero.
Vocal: Jaime Caravaca
Graduated in Law from the Autonomous University of Madrid and in Business Administration and Management and Law from the University of Extremadura. Deputy State Attorney in the Ministry of the Presidency, chaired by Félix Bolaños.
Caravaca was appointed secretary of the TAD in November 2021, at the request of the Federations, and in May of this month he became a vocal member. In the body of State Lawyers, he belongs to the same promotion as the current general director of Sports of the CSD, Fernando Molinero.
Jaime Caravaca is the nephew of Ramón Caravaca, partner of Tomás González Cueto in the CG Legal firm, for whose cancellation of the contract with the RFEF the disqualification for two years of Pedro Rocha is requested, there being clearly a conflict of interest between Caravaca’s nephew and member of the TAD because his uncle has been harmed by this decision to cancel the contract with the firm with which he works.
In addition, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) requested in August 2023 that Jaime Caravaca be removed from the TAD for being the nephew of the administrator and sole shareholder of the company that paid for the alleged espionage on David Aganzo, president of AFE and FIFPRO. Ramón Caravaca, administrator and sole shareholder of the real estate company Egmont 2008 SL, the company that paid for the alleged espionage to which David Aganzo, president of AFE and FIFPRO, was subjected.
Vocal: Eva María Fernández
Graduate in Law and in Business Administration and Management from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICADE. She is also a State lawyer and performs her legal function at the university level.
She was proposed by the Federations in 2020 as a member of the organization after a renewal that affected four of the seven members of the TAD. Since then she has held the position.
Member: Pilar Juárez
Doctorate in Law from the National University of Distance Education and degree in Law from the University of Malaga. She is a professor of Private International Law at the Carlos III University of Madrid.
She was also appointed in the renewal of the TAD in 2020, in her case by the Secretary of State for Sports (CSD), who was then Irene Lozano.
Vocal: Alfonso Ramos de Molins
Graduate in Law from the Autonomous University of Madrid (1991). He is a State Attorney, having held various positions in the Public Administration.
Appointed member of the TAD in 2020. His position was initially for Beatriz Rodríguez Villar. She would resign six months after assuming the position after it was reported that she was the wife of a partner in the office of Tomás González Cueto, former member of the TAD and external lawyer of the RFEF.
Member: Marina Adela Porta Serrano
State Attorney. Designated in May 2023 in the last renewal of the TAD. Her name was proposed by the CSD Commission and since then she has been a member of the Court.
He also belongs to the same promotion as the current general director of Sports of the CSD, Fernando Molinero.
