Luis Rubiales has resigned as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation three weeks after planting an unwanted kiss on star player Jenni Hermoso during the ceremony celebrating Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup.
Summary
Luis Rubiales has resigned as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation three weeks after planting an unwanted kiss on star player Jenni Hermoso during the ceremony celebrating Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup.
- Rubiales’ attempts to downplay the incident and his decision to dismiss his critics as “idiots and stupid people” backfired, contributing to growing calls for his resignation from many of Spain’s top soccer officials and players as well as politicians from both the government and the opposition.
- The now-former Spanish soccer federation president’s resignation comes two weeks after he steadfastly refused to resign over his inappropriate behavior.
- “It is evident that I cannot return to my duties,” Rubiales said when he announced his resignation. “Insisting on waiting and hoping to hold on is not going to contribute to anything positive neither for the Spanish Federation nor for Spanish football. Among other things, because the powers that be prevent my return.”
- “I will defend my honorability. I will defend my innocence,” Rubiales said in a statement after his resignation. “Insisting on waiting and holding on is not going to contribute to anything positive, neither to the federation nor to Spanish football.”
- Rubiales’ resignation comes two days after Spanish prosecutors accused him of sexual assault and coercion. Spanish law defines sexual assault as any unconsented sexual act, which would include an unwanted kiss. The formal accusation from prosecutors is not an indictment. Instead, it begins a process that could end in either the dismissal of the case or a trial.
- The New York Times pointed out Rubiales has remained “largely unrepentant about his actions,” but the pressure to resign from the players, the soccer federation, the public and the government proved impossible for him to withstand.
- Politico reported on Rubiales’ comments in a soon-to-be-released interview with Piers Morgan. Rubiales told Morgan that his own father had told him to resign in order to keep some semblance of his dignity intact.
- NPR noted the unsolicited kiss was merely the worst of several inappropriate actions that Rubiales committed after Spain’s World Cup victory. Rubiales also hoisted player Athenea del Castillo over his shoulder and grabbed his crotch while standing just a few feet away from Spain’s Queen and her teen daughter.
- Newsmax recalled that Rubiales had formerly been head of the Spanish players union after his professional soccer career ended. He led Spain’s soccer federation for five years after his 2018 appointment until his resignation.
- Fox News noted Rubiales was expected to step down in an address to soccer officials days after the incident. Instead, Rubiales doubled down, claimed he was the victim of a “witch hunt” and refused to resign. The defiant speech bought him time, but it was not enough to forestall his ouster.
- The Wall Street Journal observed Rubiales’ last wells of support began to dry up in recent days. The Spanish soccer federation apologized for its initial statements standing by him. The federation also fired Jorge Vilda, the women’s national team manager, a key Rubiales ally.
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© Dominic Moore, 2023
