He finally made up his mind. The president of the Spanish football federation Luis Rubiales, accused of having forced a kiss on the player Jennifer Hermoso during Spain’s victory at the Women’s World Cup, announced in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that he was going to resign.
BREAKING: Luis Rubiales has sensationally resigned as President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation following the scandal over him kissing Spain’s Jenni Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup Final. He revealed the news in a world exclusive interview for @PiersUncensored pic.twitter.com/Kl2uQTOzqv
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 10, 2023
On X, Piers Morgan revealed an extract of approximately two minutes from his interview with Luis Rubiales. Asked about a possible resignation from his post as president of the Spanish football federation, the leader assured “that he was going to do it”, in particular because he cannot “continue his work”.
“I spoke with my father, with my daughters, also with friends,” he continues. The latter would have advised him to make this decision, in particular to avoid “hurting” the people he loves and the sport he loves. “It’s the smart thing to do now,” he concludes.
In Spain, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault
On Friday, Spanish prosecutors called for the indictment of Luis Rubiales for sexual assault. “The prosecutor requests that Luis Rubiales be interviewed as the accused and Jenni Hermoso as the victim,” he said in a press release.
Since a recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category bringing together all types of sexual violence.
The coronation of the Spanish women eclipsed
Refusing at first to resign for “a little consensual kiss”, he attacked, during a resounding speech on August 25, a supposed “false feminism” and argued that he had obtained the player’s authorization before kiss her. A version denied by Jenni Hermoso.
This affair, which led to the temporary suspension of Rubiales by Fifa, plunged Spanish football into chaos and overshadowed the world title of the women’s national team. Criticized by his players, coach Jorge Vilda, close to Rubiales, was sacked on Tuesday by the federation and replaced by his former assistant, Montse Tomé.
