Spain’s Rubiales refuses to resign despite kissing a player on lips at Women’s World Cup
BARCELONA, Spain — Facing his doable removing from workplace, the president of the Spanish soccer federation refused to resign Friday regardless of an uproar for kissing a participant on the lips with out her consent after the Women’s World Cup last.
Luis Rubiales defiantly informed an emergency normal meeting of the federation “I won’t resign” 4 occasions in fast succession and claimed he was a sufferer of a witch hunt by “false feminists.”
Several Spanish media retailers had reported on Thursday that Rubiales was planning to step down after grabbing and kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips throughout the award ceremony after Spain beat England within the last in Sydney, Australia, marring the title celebrations in entrance of a worldwide viewers.
Instead, he stated the kiss was “mutual and with the consent” of Hermoso and painted himself as a sufferer. He acquired numerous applause from the overwhelming male meeting.
Among those that applauded his determination to cling to energy have been girls’s nationwide workforce coach Jorge Vilda and males’s nationwide workforce coach Luis de la Fuente.
Hermoso had stated in a video streamed on social media after the kiss final Sunday that “I didn’t like it, but what can I do?” Later, her gamers’ union issued a press release on her behalf saying that it might defend her pursuits and make sure that the act “does not go unpunished.”
The federation’s first try to reply to the scandal was a press release it launched within the title of Hermoso through which she downplayed the incident. Later, a neighborhood media report by sports activities web site Relevo.com stated that the federation had coerced her into making the assertion. The federation has denied this to The Associated Press.
In the model that Rubiales informed the meeting, he stated Hermoso had lifted him up in celebration and he requested her for “a little kiss?” and she or he stated sure.
“The kiss was the same I could give one of my daughters,” Rubiales stated.
He stated that he would defend his honor in court docket towards politicians, together with two ministers, who referred to as his kiss an act of sexual violence.
Acting Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz, one of many minister Rubiales stated he would sue, responded to his speech on X, the social media previously often called Twitter.
“What we have seen today in the federation assembly is unacceptable. The government must act and take urgent measures: impunity for macho actions is over. Rubiales cannot continue in office,” Diaz stated.
The 46-year-old Rubiales is underneath immense stress to depart his submit due to his conduct after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England on Sunday.
Since Rubiales turned a nationwide embarrassment, criticism and requires him to go have mounted day after day, with Spain’s performing prime minister, gamers’ unions, and at last voices from inside males’s soccer saying he should go. The solely related establishment to stay silent has been European soccer physique UEFA, for which Rubiales is a vp. Until Friday’s meeting, he had acquired no public help in Spain.
FIFA, the governing physique of soccer, opened a disciplinary case towards Rubiales on Thursday. The FIFA disciplinary committee was tasked with weighing whether or not Rubiales violated its code regarding “the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”
FIFA gave no timetable for a ruling. The physique’s disciplinary judges can impose sanctions on people starting from warnings and fines to suspensions from the game.
Rubiales, who led the Spanish gamers’ union for eight years earlier than taking up as federation president in 2018, is presently heading the UEFA-backed bid to host the boys’s World Cup in 2030. Spain is bidding with neighboring Portugal and Morocco, and in addition probably Ukraine.
The investigation by FIFA got here after Spain’s performing prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, stated Rubiales’ try and apologize, which got here after he initially insulted his critics, was unconvincing and that “he must continue taking further steps” to be held accountable.
Spain’s Higher Council of Sports, the nation’s governing sports activities physique, pledged it might act shortly to think about numerous formal complaints filed towards Rubiales to see if he had damaged Spain’s sports activities legislation or the federation’s personal code of conduct that sanction sexist acts. If so, Rubiales would face being declared unfit to carry his workplace by Spain’s Administrative Court for Sports.
Shortly earlier than the kiss, Rubiales grabbed his crotch in a victory gesture with Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year previous Princess Sofia standing close by.
Rubiales solely provided an apology for the crotch seize, saying it was in a second of “euphoria” and directed towards Vilda on the sphere.
The first members of the elite in Spanish males’s soccer spoke out towards Rubiales on Thursday, when it appeared like he was bowing out. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated “that is not how a federation president must behave.”
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