President of the Spanish Football Federation to Defend Himself After Suspension Due to a Kiss
Luis Rubiales, the President of the Spanish Football Federation, stated today, Saturday, that he will defend himself after the decision by FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football) to suspend him due to a scandal involving him kissing the player Jenny Hermoso on the mouth during the celebrations of the Women’s World Cup victory.
In a statement issued by the Spanish Football Federation, it was mentioned that “Luis Rubiales confirmed that he will legally defend himself before the relevant authorities. He fully trusts FIFA and reiterates that in this way, he gets the opportunity to begin his defense until the truth becomes clear and his full innocence is established.”
The Discipline Committee of FIFA temporarily suspended Luis Rubiales, the President of the Spanish Football Federation, on Saturday.
Earlier, the Spanish Football Federation expressed its support for its president Luis Rubiales, who has faced a storm of criticism after holding the player Jenny Hermoso’s head and kissing her on the mouth during the celebration of Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup.
Rubiales, on Friday, rejected resignation in light of the events from last Sunday, stating that the kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, cheerful, and happened by mutual agreement.” However, the player stated that the kiss was not consensual and that she felt “assaulted.”
The Spanish government supported the player Jenny Hermoso and condemned Rubiales’ actions. Although the government cannot dismiss Rubiales, it stated that it would resort to sports court to suspend him.
In a joint statement sent by the Spanish Women’s Professional Football Players Association, 23 players from the Spanish national team that won the World Cup, including Hermoso, as well as 32 other players, stated that they will not play in international matches as long as Rubiales remains president of the federation.
Hermoso mentioned in the same statement that the kiss was not consensual, adding, “I want to clarify that, as shown in the pictures, I did not agree at any moment to his kiss, and of course, I did not approach the president in any way.”
The Spanish Football Federation stated in a release today, “The federation and its president will take the appropriate legal measures, considering the seriousness of what was stated in the statement from the Spanish Women’s Professional Football Players Association.”
The federation added, “Under the rule of law, facts nullify opinions, and evidence refutes falsehoods in court. The federation and its president will expose every lie spread by someone on behalf of the player or the player herself.”
The statement from the federation was accompanied by four photos from the medal distribution ceremony, claiming to show the accuracy of Rubiales’ assertion that Hermoso consented to being held by him.
It was expected that Rubiales would resign during an emergency meeting of the federation on Friday, but he insisted on remaining in his position, stating that “fake feminists are trying to eliminate me.”
