Luis Rubiales took all the Spanish media on the wrong foot this Friday. Thursday evening, they assured that the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) was going to present his resignation during the extraordinary general meeting convened by the RFEF. But the Spanish soccer boss immediately announced he was refusing to step down, despite the wave of criticism that has slammed into him for five days, over the case of the forced kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, just after the victory of Spain in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney.
In a half-hour speech at the opening of this extraordinary GA convened to deal with this controversy, Luis Rubiales began by apologizing, in particular to Queen Letizia, but he described himself as the victim of a “attempted social assassination”. The leader justified himself by saying that the kiss on the mouth he had inflicted on Jenni Hermoso had been “spontaneous, mutual and consented”.
Rubiales tackles “false feminism” which “does not seek the truth”
“I’m not going to resign, I’m not going to resign,” he told dozens of RFEF delegates. Luis Rubiales, who turned 46 this week, also attacked “false feminism” which “does not seek the truth”. In particular, he attacked three women members of the government by name, including the Communist Minister of Labor and number three in the government, Yolanda Díaz, who had been one of the first to demand his resignation.
According to all the Spanish media, Luis Rubiales had informed his team on Thursday that he would present his resignation from his post as president of the Federation during this general assembly. At the head of the federation since 2018, Luis Rubiales has been at the heart of a media whirlwind since he was filmed on Sunday in Sydney, in full celebration of the victory of the women’s Roja over England in the World Cup final. , taking the head of the Roja striker with both hands before kissing her by surprise on the mouth. In Spanish law, a non-consensual kiss is considered “a crime of sexual assault”. On her return to the locker room, Jenni Hermoso said, during a live broadcast on Instagram: “I didn’t like it, huh! “, before calling on Wednesday” exemplary measures “against Luis Rubiales.