AUGUST 25 (Reuters) – Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), declined to resign over his kiss on Jenni Hermoso’s lips following Spain’s World Cup triumph, setting up a confrontation with the government.
On Friday, Rubiales lamented that “false feminists” were “trying to kill me” when speaking at an RFEF emergency meeting. A “little peck” that was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric, and consensual” was how he characterized the kiss.
“Will a friendly kiss get me out of here? I won’t step down. I’ll fight until the last end,” said Rubiales, earning cheers from the audience’s mostly male members.
The government has stated that it would bring the event before a sports tribunal, where, if it can be established that the kiss was extramarital, he may be prosecuted under a sexual assault statute passed by the Socialists last year.
Yolanda Diaz, the interim labor minister, slammed his remarks as “unacceptable” and immediately condemned it.
“Impunity for macho behavior is no longer acceptable. The government must act immediately and take action. Rubiales must leave office, Diaz declared on social media.
In his address, Rubiales, 46, said that Hermoso was the one who first made contact by picking him up by the hips. Hermoso reportedly said “Ok” when he asked whether he may give her “a little peck.”
The week after the incident, which happened as the players were receiving their medals following their 1-0 victory over England in the World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, has been marked by criticism of Rubiales’ behavior. Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and put a kiss on her mouth as the players walked by. In addition, Rubiales was observed celebrating while seated near to Queen Letizia in a box at the stadium, for which he expressed regret on Friday.
After Hermoso declared in a statement on Wednesday that her union was working to defend her rights and that such crimes should “never go unpunished,” it concluded with FIFA beginning disciplinary processes against him on Thursday.
In his initial furious response, Rubiales called his detractors “idiots” and dismissed their criticism. He quickly changed his mind, though, and shared a video apology that was taken on the flight home from Sydney.
Regional leaders of the RFEF had a crisis conference in Madrid on Thursday to consider Rubiales’s future and possibilities for a potential replacement as it became clear that his apology had not gained momentum – with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez calling it as “not enough” – a source told Reuters.
