Luis Rubiales refused to personally apologise to Jenni Hermoso for kissing her on the lips after the Women’s World Cup final and said he would “100 per cent” have behaved the same way towards the Spain men’s team.
The former Spanish football association (RFEF) president resigned from his post during an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored on Sunday following three weeks of criticism and calls for his resignation. Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual, which Rubiales denies.
In the full interview, which was broadcast on TalkTV on Tuesday, Rubiales said he had made a mistake but maintained the kiss was consensual, explained that him being tactile with the squad was due to Latin culture and said he was not concerned about criminal charges because “take a look at my face, I am a good guy.”
When asked if he would personally apologise to Hermoso, Rubiales 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.”
When asked three more times if he would apologise to Hermoso, he continued: “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.”
Rubiales was tactile with numerous members of the Spain squad as they collected their winners’ medals, kissing players on the cheek and lifting some up in the air during an embrace.
As the celebrations continued on the pitch, Rubiales was also seen lifting forward Athenea del Castillo onto his shoulder before carrying her while holding the backs of her thighs.
When asked why he was so tactile with the team, he replied: “All the medal celebrations with guys and girls. All those celebrations are mutual, they are normal. A couple of minutes before, they lifted me up. Amazing harmony, everyone is happy. I think Latin people, and it’s a cultural question, have that tactile, it’s pretty normal in a Latin world between guys and girls.”
When asked if he would have acted in the same way towards the men’s team, Rubiales continued: “No doubt about it, 100 per cent… when I was a player, there were many moments where we avoided relegation or we got promotion, where we have given what we call pecks on the lips.”
Spain’s Audencia Nacional (National Court) has begun gathering evidence in the case against Rubiales after it accepted the complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday.
The lawsuit filed last week was for an alleged sexual assault and coercion. The judicial process is underway, which will begin with an investigation, followed by an intermediary phase and then possibly a trial. Rubiales has been called to testify as a defendant on Friday.
On facing criminal charges, Rubiales said: “I am a lawyer, I am a Spanish citizen, I have been through many processes, criminal as well, and nothing has ever stuck.
“Again, I have full faith that the truth will come out and everything will be fine.
“Take a look at my face, I am a good guy. Look at my face, look at me in the eyes.”
(Photo: Getty Images)
