More pressure on Rubiales as players vow to boycott play
Dozens of members of Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s team have said they will not play any matches for the country until Luis Rubiales has been removed from his job.
Under-fire national football federation president Rubiales has refused to resign despite being widely criticised for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the medal and trophy presentation
Hermoso said on Friday that “in no moment” did she consent to a kiss on the lips by Rubiales who claimed in an emergency meeting of the Spanish soccer federation that the kiss was consensual
A total of 56 players, including Hermoso and all of the cup-winning 23-strong side, signed a joint statement sent via their FUTPRO union demanding the removal of the federation leadership.
The Spanish media had widely reported on Thursday evening that Rubiales would stand down at an extraordinary general assembly of the Spanish federation (RFEF) on Friday but instead he was defiant.
There have already been a number of resignations from the RFEF over the incident and the subsequent fall-out, including Rafael del Amo resigning from his post as president of Spain’s women’s football committee
The Spanish government are pushing for the suspension of Rubiales with Victor Francos, head of the state-run National Sports Council, saying the government wants this to be “the ‘Me Too’ of Spanish football” in reference to the movement seeking to highlight and prevent sexual violence towards women.
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Francos told a press conference in Tarragona: “What Mr Rubiales has done is aggravate the situation. The government will not be impassive.
“Mr Rubiales said he was not resigning. We want to convey one thing with all the institutional respect that the president of the RFEF deserves.
“The government begins today the procedures so that Mr Rubiales has to give explanations before the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) and, if the TAD is willing, we will suspend Mr Rubiales in his functions.
“Today we will file a complaint with the TAD. The complaint will arrive this afternoon and we request that there be an extraordinary meeting of the court next Monday.
“We want this to be the ‘Me Too’ of Spanish football and that this means a change. I apologise to the players, because they didn’t deserve this week. Hopefully we can celebrate again when this storm passes.”
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FIFA had on Thursday opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales, who also grabbed his crotch in celebration of Spain’s victory over England despite being just metres away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter in the stadium VIP area.
Rubiales apologised for his behaviour in the VIP area but insisted in his speech on Friday that the Hermoso kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual”.
He said he had been the target of a “social assassination” and repeatedly and emphatically stated “I will not resign”, words that drew applause from the gathered delegates.