2023-08-25 13:08:08
It’s an about-face that the Spanish media weren’t ready for. On an ejection seat since the kiss he had made to the player Jenni Hermoso after the victory of Spain at the Women’s World Cup, the boss of Spanish football Luis Rubiales announced Friday during an extraordinary general meeting of his federation that he refused to resign.
This meeting, the holding of which was announced on Tuesday in “emergency (…) in view of the events that took place last Sunday in Sydney”, brought together 140 people in las Rozas near Madrid, this Friday at midday. As of Thursday evening, several Spanish media, including El Pais, however reported that Luis Rubiales had informed his team of his intention to resign from his post as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
The 46-year-old, who has been in charge of the federation since 2018, has been at the heart of a media whirlwind since he was filmed celebrating the victory of the women’s Roja over England in the final du Mondial (1-0), catching Jennifer Hermoso’s head with both hands and then kissing her by surprise on the mouth. The player, on her return to the locker room, said during a live broadcast on Instagram: “I didn’t like it, huh! »
After apologizing in the introduction to his speech before the General Assembly, Rubiales repeated a dozen times that he was not going to resign, despite “pressure from the press”. Rubiales also claimed that his kiss was a “spontaneous, mutual and consensual act” and that it was not administered from a “position of power”. The Spanish football boss denounced “false feminism” which “does not seek the truth”.
Earlier in the week, Luis Rubiales had brushed aside the controversy, saying that those who criticized him were “idiots”. But a few hours later, he apologized, explaining that it was a gesture “without any bad intention”, adding “if people were hurt, I must apologize, there is nothing else to do”.
His apologies did not extinguish the conflagration and little by little, Spanish politicians and football authorities condemned this attitude in turn. And the indignation was not confined to Spain since even the American Megan Rapinoe, one of the most famous footballers in the world, or even Amnesty International, joined the waltz of criticism and calls for her resignation.
“Unprecedented international disgrace”
The case finally went up to Fifa – yet known for its neutrality in social affairs – which ended up launching disciplinary proceedings against Luis Rubiales. Meanwhile, other incriminating images have come to aggravate his case, in particular those where we see him, again on Sunday, on the balcony of honor of the stadium, grabbing his genitals to celebrate the victory… a few meters from Queen Letizia.
Remained silent for several days, Jennifer Hermoso ended up on Wednesday asking for “exemplary measures” through her union. And the same day, the Professional Women’s Football League took up the subject and issued a scathing statement demanding the dismissal of Luis Rubiales, castigating a moment of “unprecedented international shame for the ‘Spain brand’, for sport Spanish and for world women’s football”.
After this twist, the reactions were not long in coming. “Mr. Rubiales still does not understand what he has done, launched on Twitter the vice-president of the government, Yolanda Diaz. It’s not up to par. You should quit now and spare us this embarrassment. ” ” I am shocked. What makes me indignant are his declarations, his justifications. It is unacceptable, lamentable that he blames Jenni Hermoso, it is an absolute lack of respect. It calls into question the women politicians of this country who were indignant, the women who campaign against violence against women, ”relaunches Beatriz Álvarez Mesa, leader of the Spanish women’s league, at the microphone of TVE 1, the first Spanish channel.
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