Spanish FA postpone elections

The Spanish football association have averted a potential crisis after being granted permission to hold their presidential elections in the autumn.

The Spanish government had ordered the Spanish FA (RFEF) and other non-Olympic federations to hold elections before the summer Olympic Games, a ruling which led to Fifa president Sepp Blatter threatening Spain's expulsion from Euro 2008.

Blatter declared in February that government interference in the administration of football in Spain could result in the national team and also Primera Liga clubs being excluded from international competition.

That could have allowed Northern Ireland, who finished third in Spain's Euro 2008 qualifying group, to take their place in this summer's tournament.

However, such action seems to have been avoided after the government-run Spanish Sports Council (CSD) accepted a report filed by the General Election Committee of the Spanish government which claimed that moving the elections would seriously harm the RFEF.

The elections will now go ahead as previously planned in the final third of the year. The report also agreed the elections due to be held by other sporting bodies, such as golf and motor racing, could be held at later dates.