Rubiales accused of inappropriate behavior towards English players

Suspended for three years by FIFA and removed from the presidency of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for kissing player Jenni Hermoso, from Spain, without consent, the director Luis Rubiales He is also being accused of inappropriate conduct towards athletes from the England team. In testimony to FIFA in the disciplinary process opened to investigate the case, the president of the English Football Association, Debbie Hewitt, reported that Rubiales “stroked” Laura Coombs’ face and “apparently forcibly kissed” Lucy Bronze on the face.

Hewitt was alongside the former RFEF president during the Women’s World Cup awards ceremony at Sydney’s Olympic stadium, moments after Spain became champions by beating England 1-0 in August. It was during the title celebration that Rubiales kissed Hermoso, a scene that was captured on television and had negative repercussions around the world. At the time, the director argued that the kiss was consensual, a version contested by Hermoso and her teammates. After much resistance, although she did not admit to the harassment, she resigned from her position.

In addition to Rubiales’ reported inappropriate behavior towards the English players, Hewitt said that the former RFEF president’s tone of voice during the medal presentation was unpleasant and unnecessarily aggressive. He also claimed to have noticed that he grabbed the Spanish players “tightly”, lifting them off the ground, and caressing them.

During his statement at the hearing, Luis Rubiales called Hewitt a hypocrite. “Applying the same logic, her hugs could also be understood as non-consensual physical contact. The hypocrisy is evident.” When talking about the accusation of having caressed Coombs’ face, he argued that he was comforting her, as she had an injured head and needed stitches.