Pérez Llorca and his top officials will have to declare as a gift to Transparency the tickets for the World Cup final

The president of the Valencian Government, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, must declare the tickets to the World Cup final as gifts under transparency laws, according to reports. The requirement comes from the obligation placed on high-ranking officials to disclose such items through the Transparency Portal. Although the Valencian Government and the Popular Party argue that the trip was private and did not involve public funds, the free tickets were given due to Pérez Llorca's position as the head of the regional government, necessitating compliance with transparency regulations set by autonomous laws. His chief advisor in Communication, Vicente Ordaz, who accompanied him on the trip, will also need to clarify whether he followed similar procedures. It has not been confirmed that any other regional leader attended the final, though the mayor of La Nucia, Bernabé Cano, also from the PP and a close ally of Pérez Llorca, was present at the match. According to the Valencian Government’s gift policy, senior officials must report "gifts received due to their position," including descriptions, the person or entity giving them, the date, and their subsequent use. This information should appear on the Transparency Portal, which includes a specific section for gifts received by high-ranking officials. To date, the last item declared by the president was a gift from the Amics del Corpus Association, a bouquet and seven handmade figures, along with a calendar, book, pen, and keychain. The Office of the President has yet to confirm whether details of Pérez Llorca’s trip will be published on the Transparency Portal. It remains unclear how long the trip lasted, as the president had no official schedule from Friday morning until Tuesday afternoon. The Law on Transparency and Good Governance mandates the development of an ethical code and conduct guidelines specifying certain aspects of behavior for high-ranking officials. These codes must include principles stating that officials "should not accept gifts exceeding customary courtesies, nor accept favors or services under advantageous conditions that could influence the performance of their duties." Similarly, the Code of Good Governance of the Valencian Government, effective since 2016, states that individuals subject to this code are prohibited from accepting any gifts, favors, or services under advantageous conditions beyond customary social and courtesy practices, either because of their value or reason, or if they might compromise neutrality or objectivity. Gifts received due to one's position within customary social and courtesy practices must be made public. The cost of the two tickets for the World Cup final by the Spanish Football Federation is unknown, although ticket prices for any citizen range between €4,000 and €8,000, according to the federation’s website. Several media outlets have reported that some tickets reached over $30,000 under a dynamic pricing system. The term "customary courtesies" is ambiguous, but it can be argued that a ticket to see the World Cup final may exceed these standards. No other regional president attended the match, nor did the Spanish Football Federation request their presence, although other political leaders or personalities did attend. Pérez Llorca claimed he attended "as a regular Spaniard" and emphasized that the trip was paid for "out of his pocket," omitting information about the ticket. The recently approved budget of the Valencian Government includes €90,000 allocated to the Spanish Football Federation in two categories: the celebration of the Women's Super Cup in Castellón and the global women's classification, plus €80,000 for the Valencian Football Federation. The Spanish Football Federation has not disclosed who else received tickets to the World Cup final besides Pérez Llorca. The lack of transparency regarding the distribution of these tickets raises questions about the extent of such gestures and whether other officials or entities were similarly honored. The absence of clear documentation adds complexity to the situation, making it difficult to assess the broader implications of the practice. The issue highlights the ongoing debate around the boundaries of acceptable gifts for public officials and the need for greater clarity in defining what constitutes appropriate behavior under transparency laws. While the Valencian Government maintains its stance that the trip was private, the necessity to declare the tickets underscores the importance of adhering strictly to established protocols for transparency and accountability. The Spanish Football Federation has not released further details about the allocation of tickets, leaving many questions unanswered about the process and criteria used to select recipients. This opacity contrasts with the expectations of transparency and public accountability that are central to governance in modern democracies.