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Spanish federation threatens stoppage in feud with state

By Tim Hanlon

BARCELONA (Reuters) - The Spanish football federation (RFEF) threatened on Thursday to halt football in the country, escalating a feud over state interference in the sport.

The RFEF said it would consider “the partial stoppage of Spanish football” as a protest against an ongoing dispute over financial aid and accountability.

The ruling body complained about “the suppression of financial support to youth football” which it said was surprising considering the good faith in which it had accepted reduced state funding in 2012, 2013 and 2014 so as to benefit other federations with less money.

The RFEF is to also to call for the state’s sports chief Miguel Cardenal to be removed by UEFA from positions of responsibility within the organisation and it plans to denounce the country’s highest sports body, the CSD, to FIFA.

RFEF president Angel Maria Villar is angry at what he sees as intrusion into the federation’s affairs. The CSD says it is seeking accountability for public money.

“If the RFEF or any other sports body considers that something has been done wrongly then there is the judicial infrastructure in place to ensure the law is upheld,” CSD said in a statement.

“It is the obligation of the CSD to act with the utmost diligence over the use of financial resources and so once more the RFEF is invited to collaborate with external auditors who so far have not been able to complete their work with respect to the year 2013.

"For several months now the RFEF has blocked all relations with the CSD and has not replied to any written correspondence,” it added.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)