It was believed that Luis Rubiales would resign as president of Spain's soccer federation, RFEF, on August 25. This report, first released by ESPN on August 24, came as Rubiales continued to draw criticism for his behavior at the Women's World Cup Final last week. He forcibly kissed midfielder Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth, grabbed his crotch in celebration while standing next to the Queen of Spain, and put striker Athenea del Castillo over his shoulder.
After originally calling his detractors "idiots", Rubiales tendered an apology. However, calls for resignation quickly emerged. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for Rubiales to resign, saying an apology was “insufficient and inadequate.” Meanwhile, the Minister for Equality Irene Montero called the kiss in particular “a form of sexual violence.” Many Spanish clubs also called for Rubiales' resignation. Meanwhile, Hermoso released a statement with her union, saying "such acts should never go unpunished." However, despite the ESPN report, Rubiales has doubled down and at the time of writing, remains in his position.
Rubiales Calls Kiss "Consensual", Attacks "Fake Feminists"
"Let me tell you: I'm not going to resign. I'm not going to resign. I'm not going to resign," Rubiales began. "I've come under a lot of pressure. But we live in a country of laws. Is a consensual kiss enough to remove me? I'm going to fight until the end. I hope the law is followed, and that as there's no reason to...it won't happen. My desire in that moment was exactly the same as if I'd have been kissing one of my daughters. No more or less...It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric and consensual. That's the key. In the moment that Jenni arrived, she lifted me up off the ground. We almost fell over. We hugged. I said, 'Forget about the penalty, you've been fantastic, we wouldn't have won the World Cup without you.' She said: 'You're great.' I said, 'A kiss?' and she said: 'Yes.'"
Rubiales went on to say that "fake feminists" were attempting to "assassinate" him and specifically referred to the comments of Minister Montero. In response, the government is now seeking to suspend Rubiales. "The government starts today the procedure so that Mr Rubiales has to give explanations before the Sport Court and if the Sport Court agrees, I can announce that we will suspend Mr. Rubiales from his functions," National Sports Council head Victor Francos told reporters. This is a developing story and we'll have any updates as and when they emerge.
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