November 24 – Markel Zubizarreta has been appointed as the new director of women’s football at the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the governing body has confirmed.
Zubizarreta’s arrival is the latest reshuffle in Spanish women’s football following the Women’s World Cup and the scandal that ultimately led to the downfall of then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales. “A decision that is part of a profound restructuring to strengthen this department,” said the RFEF statement.
The current women’s football director Ana Álvarez will become director for development. Zubizarreta brings great expertise in women’s football to the set-up, having spent six years at FC Barcelona. A nucleus of national players play at the club, including Aitana Bonmatí, Irene Paredes and Alexia Putellas.
Markel is the son of Andoni Zubizarreta, the former goalkeeper for Athletic Barcelona and Valencia as well as the national team. After an unsuccessful career attempting to follow in the footsteps of his father, he pursued a master’s degree in sports management and joined FC Barcelona in 2015 as head of women’s sports management before becoming director two years later.
Under his leadership, FC Barcelona won 16 titles – four leagues, two Champions Leagues, four Queen’s Cups, three Super Cups and three Catalan Cups. They also signed a raft of big stars, including Lieke Martens, Caroline Graham Hansen, Ana Maria Crnogorcevic, Paredes, Keira Walsh and Salma Paralluelo.
At the RFEF, Zubizarreta will have the task of developing the game as well as maintaining the national team at the top. In August, Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time, defeating England in the final in Sydney, but the triumph was overshadowed by Rubiales’s unsolicited kiss on the lips of Jennifer Hermoso.
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