Rubiales resigns from the Spanish Federation – 09/10/2023 – Sport

The removed president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, said this Sunday (10) that he will resign from the entity. The manager is being investigated by the Public Ministry of Spain because of the forced kiss on player Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony for the Women’s World Cup.

In an interview with English journalist Piers Morgan, the top hat said that the scandal has affected his family and that is why he made the decision.

“I’m going to resign. I can’t continue my work,” he said. “I spoke to my father and my daughters, it’s not a question about me. My friends tell me ‘you have to focus on your dignity, get on with your life, because you’re probably going to harm people you love'” , he commented.

“I had to think a lot over these three weeks. It’s not an issue that only affects me, it can affect other people. That’s why this is the smartest decision to make,” he added.

On Friday (8), the Spanish MP filed a complaint against Rubiales for possible crimes of sexual assault.

“The prosecutor requests the testimony of Luis Rubiales, as an investigator, and Jenni Hermoso, as a victim,” the agency said.

Now, a National Audience court, the body competent to judge acts that take place abroad, must decide whether to admit the complaint and open a case or close the complaint.

Since a recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that brings together all types of sexual violence.

Rubiales provoked outrage in Spain and the international community for the kiss he gave the national team player on the mouth, without consent, during the women’s World Cup medal ceremony on August 20, shortly after Spain’s victory over England , in Sydney, Australia.

On Wednesday (6), Hermoso opened a case against Luis Rubiales. The complaint presented was essential for the judicial process to move forward. The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the National Audience (ANE) had already started a preliminary investigation against the director for an “alleged crime of sexual harassment”.

“Jenni Hermoso stated in her testimony that both she and those closest to her suffered constant and repeated pressure from Luis Rubiales and his professional environment to justify and approve the facts,” the statement said, adding that “this harassment could constitute a crime of coercion”.

The scandal triggered by Rubiales has been shaking Spanish football for weeks. The leader initially refused to resign from the entity and attacked what he called “false feminism”. After the episode, he was suspended from his position for 90 days by FIFA.