(Madrid) Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales, in the hot seat after forcibly kissing a player during Spain’s victory in the World Cup final on Sunday, will tender his resignation on Friday at the extraordinary general meeting of his federation.
The 46-year-old has been criticized from all sides since he grabbed the head of Jennifer Hermoso, the female No.10 of La Roja, with both hands and then kissed her by surprise on the mouth, all filmed by the cameras, on the podium of the Sydney stadium just after the coronation of Spain against England.
A gesture that had reacted to the highest authorities of football and power, from the Spanish Prime Minister in office to the Association of Spanish Footballers, the Professional Women’s Football League and the international players’ union FIFPro and even the FIFA, which has launched disciplinary proceedings against him.
According to Spanish media, the 40-year-old will present his resignation on Friday, which will be at the heart of the GA of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), scheduled from noon at Las Rozas near Madrid, and to which 140 people were summoned.
Joined by AFP, the football federation did not confirm this information and did not wish to comment.
Tuesday evening’s announcement of this “emergency” General Assembly was accompanied by a clarification: “In view of the latest events that occurred […] last Sunday in Sydney, we would like to inform you that the internal procedures of the Federation concerning questions of integrity are open”.
On Sunday, moments after the kiss was captured by the cameras and upon returning to the locker room, Jenni Hermoso said of the kiss during an Instagram Live: “I didn’t like it, huh ! “.
In the evening, the Spanish federation released statements by the player to the press that it was “a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense joy that the victory in the World Cup brings”.
On Monday, after having initially considered that those who criticized his gesture were “idiots”, as he had declared on radio Cope, Luis Rubiales ended up apologizing a few hours later.
“What was perceived here as something natural, normal, without any bad intentions”, he said, caused “a stir outside”, he had regretted, before adding that “if people have been injured, I must apologize, there is nothing else to do”.
Apologies deemed unconvincing since the Higher Sports Council, a Spanish public body directly dependent on the ministry, indicated that it was going to take the case to the Administrative Sports Court and take action if the Federation did not do so.
As for Jennifer Hermoso, she made it known through her union, Futpro, that she was calling for “exemplary measures” for Luis Rubiales.
The case took on another dimension on Wednesday when the professional women’s football league issued a scathing statement demanding the layoff of Luis Rubiales.
For La Liga F, “one of the greatest feats in the history of Spanish sport has been tainted by the embarrassing behavior of Spain’s most senior footballing representative” and Rubiales’ attitude is a moment of “unprecedented international shame” for the ‘Spain brand’, for Spanish sport and for global women’s football”.
This kiss did not just react in Spain, but even the American Megan Rapinoe, one of the most famous footballers in the world, or even Amnesty International, who considers that this kiss is an act of “sexual violence in work environment and exercised by a superior”.
More and more voices were raised, like those of Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid who considered that this gesture was not “worthy of a president of the federation” or even of Enrique Cerezo, the president of Atlético, who ruled Thursday on the Spanish channel Sexta that Luis Rubiales should resign.
It remains to be seen whether the GA will gather enough votes to implement a possible decision.
The Basque federation and many club representatives have already announced that they will not be going there.