'Fuenlabrada case': an unsolved controversy, in 7 keys

The suspension of Deportivo-Fuenlabrada, due to the positive of coronavirus in the Madrid team, has generated turbulence in Spanish football, two open files, one in LaLiga and the other in the Spanish Federation, the threat that it will end in ordinary justice and a proposal to solve it: expand to 24 the teams in the silver category only in the 2020/21 season.

The meeting, corresponding to the last date of the regular phase of LaLiga SmartBank, was suspended by LaLiga, the Spanish Football Federation and the Higher Sports Council at just a few hours from the scheduled time for the match that had to have taken place. held in a unified schedule and that leaves seven keys.

1.-The completed facts

Fuenlabrada met the first case of positive for COVID-19 in its staff on Saturday, on Sunday the rest of the team (sports and non-sports personnel) underwent a PCR test and three other cases emerged; and on Monday, the day of the game, in the morning, those who had given negative tests passed again and the expedition traveled without knowing their results.

In A Coruña, at snack time at the concentration hotel, according to LaLiga data, news of new positives arrives, meetings are established with the Federation and the CSD and it is agreed to suspend only Deportivo-Fuenlabrada, breaking the provisions of a circular from the federative entity to dispute the day at the same time.

2.-Cofinamiento and dispute of the day

The Fuenlabreño team, who did not go to the Abanca-Riazor Stadium, where Deportivo was waiting for him, he had to be confined in the hotel due to the positives for coronavirus and the day was held in the rest of the fields.

The Fuenlabrada, who that day defended his promotion position (he needed a point), saw how Elche and Rayo were ahead of him in the table; Deportivo, who depended on other results to continue in professional football, suffered the mathematical decline due to the victories of Lugo and Albacete.

It could have been the case that both Fuenlabrada and Dépor would have been worth a draw to achieve their respective objectives if the party came to play days after being suspended, something that would also have raised suspicions and controversy.

3.-The battle of both teams involved

Fuenlabrada, in a historic year, has clung to its intention to play the game; Deportivo, with players from the day after the suspended appointment, undertook the defense of their interests in the sports bodies feeling severely handicapped by not being able to play the day in a unified schedule.

The Blue and Whites understood that the whole day had to have been suspended, not only their match, that the results of Albacete and Lugo could have been different if they had played as planned.

4.-The open files

The party generated two files, one in LaLiga and the other in the Spanish Federation with very different lines.

The closest thing between them is that in LaLiga, Deportivo requested the judge's recusal for having, supposedly, links with a high position of the club association; and in the Federation it was Fuenlabrada that challenged the instructor because, according to the Madrid club, he had a relationship with Deportivo directors.

Both judges have continued to lead the respective processes, although Deportivo has taken its request for challenge to the TAD (Administrative Court of Sport).

While the one from LaLiga understood that Fuenlabrada acted correctly and rebuked Deportivo and the Galician politicians, although without express allusion, due to the “media noise” that the suspension of the party had caused.

In the LaLiga procedure, in its resolution of July 26, the Social Discipline judge, Manuel Rivero González, agreed “not to adopt the provisional measure requested by the instructor, consisting of the suspension of the right” of Fuenlabrada to participate in professional competition during the processing of the file.

Four days later, the instructor of the Federation proposed to the Competition Committee the precautionary measure that the match be considered lost by the Madrid team, whom he criticized for his attitude in the outbreak of coronavirus he had in the team, and blamed him for putting at risk, among others, the staff itself and the referees who were staying at his hotel.

However, the Competition Committee rejected the precautionary measure of the loss of the match to Fuenlabrada and declared Deportivo the winner, something that would have left the Madrid team out of the playoff and that would have been valid for the A Coruña team to overtake Numancia.

The people of A Coruña would continue to decline, but could be saved in the event that Fuenlabrada was punished with the loss of the category.

5.- Ordinary justice

The City Council of A Coruña informed the Prosecutor's Office of the Fuenlabrada trip to Galicia with positive cases in case a crime against public health could have been committed; and, at the same time, several individuals filed three complaints in the courts of A Coruña against Fuenlabrada, LaLiga and its president, Javier Tebas, for the same reason.

Last Friday, the head of the Investigating Court number 6 of A Coruña, in which the three complaints fell, reported, as reported by the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia, which saw no evidence of the commission of crime, although he agreed to request the Judicial Police to prepare a report on the circumstances of the Fuenlabrada trip.

6.- The RFEF proposal

Also on Friday, the Spanish Football Federation, in a letter from the secretary general to the president of LaLiga, proposed a Second Division of 24 teams.

In the letter, the secretary recalled the investigation opened in the Court of A Coruña and the Competition resolution to reject the precautionary measure of giving up the match to Fuenlabrada.

In addition, that same day, that Committee had also rejected that the suspended party be played, as the Fuenlabrada and LaLiga intended, this Sunday.

7.- An approach that opens the debate

The approach of the Spanish Federation to extend the Second League only in the 2020/21 season in two other teams has opened the debate.

Deportivo and Numancia, the clubs that had options to stay on the last matchday and that dropped, would satisfy them; but not to those who had previously descended: Extremadura and Racing de Santander, who also claim permanence.

Also, Rayo Vallecano advocates a playoff of six teams instead of the usual four and Elche, ranked sixth at the expense of what happens with Dépor-Fuenla, Prepare that appointment to try to go up to First.

On the other hand, a League of 24 will influence the distribution of television rights as the teams increase, although LaLiga would save the amounts corresponding to the Numancia and Deportivo descent insurance, which could be distributed among the teams in the category silver.