Who is Luis Rubiales? The Spanish FA chief who resigned over controversial kiss
The President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation refused to resign last week regardless of sparking backlash over kissing Spanish athlete Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent, however has now performed a whole u-turn and give up his put up.
He announced his resignation as president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after he was criticised for the kiss after the Women’s World Cup closing.
He stated he couldn’t “continue my work” throughout an interview on TV present Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Rubiales kissed the midfielder on the lips throughout the trophy presentation following Spain’s victory over England, however Hermoso stated the kiss was not consensual.
Fifa initially suspended Rubiales pending an investigation into his behaviour, and Hermoso submitted a criticism to the nationwide prosecutor’s workplace, which is now with Spain’s excessive court docket.
In an announcement on his unverified X account on Sunday night, Rubiales stated he had knowledgeable Pedro Rocha, who has been performing as RFEF president whereas he was suspended, that he was resigning, with the identical making use of to his place as a Uefa vice-president.
Spanish state prosecutors have since filed a lawsuit in opposition to Luis Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion.
Prosecutors offered the swimsuit to Spain’s National Court in Madrid on Friday after Hermoso spoke out about not giving consent.
If discovered responsible, he might face a high quality or a jail sentence of 1 to 4 years.
Rubiales is alleged to have dedicated an act of coercion when, in response to Hermoso, he pressured her to talk out in his defence after the scandal erupted.
Rubiales has insisted the kiss was consensual, however Hermoso has denied that was the case. Prosecutors have requested the choose that Rubiales seem earlier than a court docket to provide preliminary testimony.
If the National Court choose agrees to listen to the case, it could result in a proper court docket investigation that can finish with a advice for the case to both be dismissed or go to trial.
Meanwhile, Rubiales’s mom and her sister have locked themselves in a church in Motril, Spain, to protest the criticism Luis is dealing with, along with his mom saying that she can even be on a starvation strike till the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt” in opposition to her son concludes.
As the world continues to help Hermoso within the aftermath of an act many are calling sexual assault, here’s a take a look at who Luis Rubiales is.
Who is Luis Rubiales?
Luis Rubiales, 46, is a former skilled soccer participant, and the previous president of the RFEF and vp of Uefa.
He was born in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, to father Luis Manuel Rubiales Lopez, a major faculty trainer, and mom Ángeles Béjar, a hairdresser.
He grew up within the Motril area of Granada earlier than beginning his soccer profession. He constructed his profession at golf equipment like Guadix CF, RCD Mallorca B and Alicante CF, earlier than making his debut within the Spanish prime flight in 2004.
In 2009, when he was 32 years outdated, Rubiales signed a one-year deal to affix the Scottish Premier League group Hamilton Academical. However, he introduced his retirement quickly after and returned to Spain.
In March 2010, the footballer was elected to be the President of the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), a place he held till 2017.
Then, in May 2018, he grew to become the RFEF president, a place he has held ever since, till now.
Recent years have seen corruption allegations being made in opposition to the previous athlete, with the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial leaking paperwork and audio recordsdata that exposed conversations between Rubiales and footballer Gerard Pique.
In these recordsdata, named Supercopa Files, Rubiales is heard negotiating to pay Pique commissions in relation to the Supercopa de España in Saudi Arabia. He requested that he guarantee Barcelona and Real Madrid have been two of the taking part groups within the occasion.
Rubiales kissed the feminine athlete with out her consent
/ ESWhat did Luis Rubiales do on the 2023 Women’s World Cup to spark outrage?
August 2023 noticed Spain take dwelling the trophy after defeating the Lionesses within the Women’s World Cup.
During the celebrations, Rubiales kissed Spain’s midfielder Jennifer Hermoso on the lips whereas presenting her with a medal. Hermoso later revealed that she hadn’t consented to the kiss.
Rubiales was additionally noticed grabbing his crotch throughout the recreation, whereas Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter have been simply metres away away within the stands.
Since the incident, the AFE launched an announcement saying that if he didn’t resign instantly, the affiliation would demand that the Sports Law is utilized in opposition to him.
La Liga additionally filed a criticism with the High Sports Council asking for Rubiales to be disqualified. Meanwhile, Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings in opposition to him and soccer gamers throughout the globe have begun to publicly criticise Rubiales.
He has since give up.