Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales is refusing to resign after a week of heavy criticism for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final.
“I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign,” Rubiales shouted at an emergency meeting of the Spanish football federation.
“A consensual ‘peck’ is enough to get me out of here? I will fight until the end,” he added.
Rubiales, 46, was expected to step down as president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) after government ministers and figures within sport demanded his resignation and world football governing body Fifa opened disciplinary proceedings against him.
The controversy started at the end of Sunday’s World Cup final, when Rubiales was pictured grabbing his crotch in celebration while stood alongside the Queen of Spain, and later appeared to force Hermoso into kissing him on the winners’ podium.
Instead of resigning, however, Rubiales instead launched a ferocious defence of his behaviour.
Rubiales said: “This is the body that elected me and the body to which I must give explanations. I want to apologise for an event that occurred in the box [the crotch-grabbing]. I am going to explain it by looking at Jorge Vilda [the Spain women’s head coach, who has previously been strongly criticised by Spain’s players].
“We have been through a lot, they have wanted to do to you the same thing that they are doing to me know, they are trying to create a false speech and turn it against you.
“I was very moved when after winning the World Cup you turned around and dedicated it to me. There I made the gesture. I apologise to Her Majesty the Queen, I have never [before] behaved like this in a box.”
Vilda was seen in the audience applauding Rubiales’s comments.
‘More of a peck than a kiss’
On the Hermoso kiss, Rubiales said: “It was more of a peck than a kiss. There was no desire, the desire was the same I would have giving my daughter a kiss, there was no dominance. It was spontaneous, mutual and consented.
“I have a great relationship with all the players and we had very affectionate moments.
“Jenni picked me up off the ground and we almost fell. She was the one who lifted me up. We hugged and I told her: ‘Forget the [missed] penalty, you’ve been fantastic in this World Cup’ and she told me ‘you’re a crack’ and I told her, a little peck? and she said OK.
“It is a social murder, they are trying to kill me. As a Spaniard, we have to reflect on where we are going. False feminism does not seek justice, it does not seek the truth, it does not care about people.”
Pictures taken after Sunday’s final also show Rubiales carrying one of the Spanish players over his shoulder.
‘List of women aggrieved by Rubiales is too long’
Players, politicians and the media have spent the week pushing for Rubiales’s resignation. Several professional clubs have issued statements saying he should step down, including Atletico Madrid.
The president of La Liga, Spain’s top league, meanwhile accused Rubiales of blackmail while also suggesting his comments have caused reputational damage to the whole of Spanish football.
“Must admit that it has been very difficult to explain what is happening with Luis Rubiales during these years,” Javier Tebas posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I have the feeling that many people, until now, did not understand what the members of the football estates have to live in dealing with him as president of the RFEF.
“The misogynistic gestures, the profane expressions, the protocol disaster and the insults of this latest global embarrassment are not a surprise and had obvious antecedents that should have prevented a new victim (which should not be in focus).
“Professional men’s and women’s football, futsal, amateur football clubs, associations of soccer players, territorial presidents, presidents of the Higher Sports Council, integrity directors, ministers, referees, players… The list of women and men aggrieved by Luis Rubiales these years is too long and this must stop.”
Spanish fears about future World Cup bids
Fifa said in a statement on Thursday: “The Fifa disciplinary committee informed Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the Fifa Women’s World Cup on August 20, 2023.”
Fifa’s statement added: “The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code.
“Fifa reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary.”
The sections of the disciplinary code referenced in the Fifa statement cover “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”.
The code cites examples of behaviour which could lead to disciplinary measures being taken, including “insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or Fifa into disrepute”.
Rubiales initially called the kissing issue “nonsense”, but then issued an apology via video on Monday for the Hermoso kiss. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez described the apology as “insufficient”.
The are fears in Spain that the Fifa proceedings could hamper the country’s bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup finals, which Rubiales is helping to lead.
Spain is bidding alongside Portugal, Ukraine and Morocco for the centenary finals, with a decision on who will host due to be taken at an extraordinary Fifa Congress in the final quarter of next year.