/s3/static.nrc.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/web-1009sporubiales-1.jpg "The president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, resigns after a controversial kiss")
Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation, announced his resignation after a controversial kiss on the lips of Jenny Hermoso during a party held after the Women’s World Cup final. He said this on Sunday during the BBC programme Piers Morgan Uncensored.
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“I can no longer continue my work,” Rubiales said during the interview. According to the BBC, he also resigned from the position of vice-president of the UEFA Executive Committee. In his statement, Rubiales said: “After the swift suspension by FIFA, as well as the rest of the ongoing proceedings against me, it is clear that I will not be able to return to my position.”
In doing so, he responded to the request of the Spanish Football Federation to resign from his post. After the kiss there was a widespread uproar. Rubiales insisted that Hermoso agreed to the kiss, while the soccer star said that was not the case. A legal complaint was filed against him on Tuesday.
boiling point
Tensions within Spanish women’s football reached a boiling point after the kiss. Rubiales was suspended by FIFA two weeks ago, and national team coach Jorge Vilda, who has long been accused of improper conduct and continued to publicly support Rubiales, was sacked this week.
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Rubiales did not take any responsibility for his behavior after the kiss. In the week after the event, he said in a press conference that he had been a victim of a “witch hunt and a ‘pseudo-feminist’.”
The formal complaint Hermoso filed against him on Tuesday was necessary for the Spanish public prosecutor to take action against Rubiales. If convicted of sexual assault, Rubiales faces between one and four years in prison. Because the incident occurred in Australia, the case is being considered by the Supreme Court.
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