The head of the administrative commission that oversees the RFEF following Rubiales' resignation, Pedro Rocha, has stepped down from the commission to stand in the elections - in which he is the frontrunner, according to Spanish media. His main opponent is expected to be Eva Parera, a lawyer with expertise in sports law, according to local media. 

Ex-president Rubiales was forced to step down as RFEF chief in September after he forcibly kissed Women's World Cup star Jenni Hermoso following Spain's triumph in the final in Sydney in August 2023. During Wednesday's meeting, the RFEF's management commission also decided to "initiate criminal proceedings against all those who may have caused economic or reputational damage to the institution." The decision comes in the wake of the an alleged bribery scandal at the RFEF when Rubiales was president. Several members of the federation, including Rubiales, are under investigation for alleged corruption and other crimes. 

On Wednesday, Rubiales was detained at Madrid's Barajas airport shortly after arriving from the Dominican Republic, but was released shortly afterwards as part of the investigation. 

His arrest came two weeks after investigators searched 11 locations, including the RFEF's Madrid headquarters and Rubiales' home in the southern city of Granada, as part of what judicial sources described as "an investigation into suspected crimes related to economic corruption, fraudulent administration and money laundering." 

A day after the raids on 20 March, the RFEF sacked its legal director Pedro Gonzalez Segura and human resources director Jose Javier Jimenez and terminated the contract with GC Legal, the law firm of the federation's external legal adviser Tomas Gonzalez Cueto. All three were detained by police during the raids. 

According to Spanish media reports, investigators are looking into RFEF contracts signed since 2018, including one signed by Rubiales to take the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. The RFEF said on Wednesday that it had approved an audit for the period 2018-2023 - the five-year period linked to the bribery scandal. 

"The Management Committee... has also given the green light to a forensic audit that will allow information to be gathered on the actions under investigation during the period 2018-2023," the RFEF wrote in a statement on its website. 

"The intention is to help bring to light all the facts surrounding the matter and to take the case to court so that a final resolution can be reached and the institution can turn the page on a turbulent period that has seriously damaged the image of Spanish football."