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 A total of 44 people put their name on Sunday to a seven-point
statement that hit out at general poor organization along with a
lack of transparency by the Spanish federation (RFET).
It emphasized the "chaotic" and "belligerent" way that the
federation is led by president Jose Luis Escanuela and asks that the
"necessary authorities" take swift action to remedy the situation.
The letter comes on the back of claims in local media that the
nation's first female Davis Cup captain Gala Leon offered her
resignation following continued disapproval of her appointment last
September, but it was not accepted by the federation.
Nadal was among those who reacted with disbelief at the RFET's
naming of Leon, who had a career-high ranking of 27 as a player, to
replace Carlos Moya.
It has led to accusations of sexism and Nadal himself admitted over
the weekend that the controversy is tarnishing the image of Spanish
tennis.
"The situation is terrible," Nadal told a news conference ahead of
the Wimbledon.
"All these things that are happening cause damage to tennis, to the
desire sponsors might have to invest in our sport, to the excitement
that kids might have in continuing to play," added the 14-times
grand slam champion.
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There has also been a standoff between the government sports council
(CSD), which has questioned Leon's appointment, and Escanuela.
Spain's disciplinary committee for sports (TAD) last week suspended
Escanuela for one month for failing to collaborate in a probe into
the federation's finances.
The CSD says it is attempting to track down what happened to at
least 700,000 euros ($775,140) the RFET paid out in transactions
linked to the Spanish Tennis Foundation and the Spanish Tennis
Observatory.
(Reporting By Tim Hanlon; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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