Following the scandal, which has overshadowed Spain Women’s World Cup final triumph, Luis Rubiales has finally tendered his resignation as Spain FA president after weeks of pressure
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Luis Rubiales resigns as Spanish FA president over Jenni Hermoso kiss
Luis Rubiales has finally accepted he was wrong to kiss Jennifer Hermoso, but refused to apologise for the incident.
The shamed former Spanish FA president conducted an interview with Piers Morgan, which culminated in him resigning from his post. Rubiales found himself at the centre of a storm following Spain’s triumph at the Women’s World Cup last month when he kissed Hermoso on the lips moments before she received her winners’ medal.
Hermoso subsequently confirmed she didn’t consent to the kiss, with widespread calls for him to stand down from his position. However, Rubiales vowed to fight on - with FIFA ultimately suspending him pending an investigation.
But after a sit-down chat with Morgan on TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored, he confirmed he would be resigning with immediate effect. Before he made his decision official, Rubiales was asked whether he could accept the fact that his conduct was wrong.
He replied: “Of course, I have said it from the beginning, I made a mistake, and I apologised in a sincere manner. I was very happy, I felt like another player. But being the President of the association, I have apologised unreservedly, that is not the actions of the President of the association.”
However, although he referred to his “unreserved apology” he refused to actually say sorry during the interview - despite being pushed on several occasions by Morgan. Asked whether he would apologise to Hermoso personally, he said: “So what happened is bad for everyone. We had Jenni lifting me. We had the fleeting kiss, two tenths of a second, but what was created from that is crazy. So what’s left for me is to defend my dignity. So it’s not about that Piers, it’s about humility.”
Pressed a further three times if he would say sorry, Rubiales added: “So what we had is a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was driven by the emotion of the moment, the happiness, so I maintain that that is the truth of what happened.”
Luis Rubiales appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored (
Image:
Piers Morgan Uncensored)
He did however accept that he acted in a way unsuitable for his position in the federation. “A President can’t behave that way towards the executives at the game on the podium, yes, a President can give a hug, but needs to act in a more diplomatic and colder way.”
The 46-year-old also sidestepped a question regarding England’s Lionesses, who Spain had beaten in the final in Sydney. As a team, they condemned Rubiales’ “unacceptable” actions and insisted they would stand alongside their opponents.
Responding to that statement, he said: “I am not going to comment on third parties and what they might have said. I don’t want to start a war here, but I do want to say this: It’s not about men against women and it’s not about progressive people against backward thoughts, it’s about the truth.
“So once again, I am not going to comment on third parties, but what I would want to say is that this is not a debate about men or women, progressive or conservative, this is a debate about the truth.”
Rubiales refused to apologise to Jennifer Hermoso (
Image:
Noe Llamas/SPP/REX/Shutterstock)
But while Rubiales refused to apologise to Hermoso, he did confirm he had said sorry to Queen Letizia after he was seen grabbing his crotch.
The Spaniard said: “For this I am truly ashamed, more from an internal perspective than anything else. There are no excuses. In Spain, with guys as well as women, there’s an expression which would probably translate to something like, ‘oh my genitals’ … So this vulgar expression, basically what it means is: ‘Bravo, well done’.
“When the final whistle went, Jorge Vilda looked at me and said, ‘This is for you’, gesturing quite strongly. I gestured back and said, ‘No, no, this is for you, this is for you’, for all the suffering we have had.”
At the conclusion of the interview, Rubiales reluctantly admitted he ‘couldn’t continue’. With a statement released on social media confirmed he would be stepping down as President of the RFEF.
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