Spanish football is ready to move forward, three weeks after its women’s team won the Women’s World Cup but had its celebrations marred by a kiss that ignited a crisis.
Luis Rubiales, the Spanish football federation president who kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the trophy ceremony in Australia last month, resigned late Sunday following weeks of relentless pressure from inside the sport and Spanish society in general.
RELATED: Rubiales-Hermoso controversy timeline: How did the scandal around the RFEF chief unfold?
The decision, which many in the country had been hoping to see much earlier, was expected to help Spanish football start overcoming one of its most embarrassing chapters. It should also clear the way for Spain to get back on track with its bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2030 along with Portugal, Morocco and possibly Ukraine.
“It’s over,” Irene Montero, the acting minister of equality in Spain, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Rubiales had been widely criticised after he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony following Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the Women’s World Cup final on August 20 in Sydney. Hermoso said the kiss was without her consent.
Rubiales had been expected to resign at an emergency general meeting of the federation shortly after the World Cup final, but instead said he was a victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
His defiant stand did not make the problem go away.
“The feminist country is advancing faster and faster,” Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s acting Deputy Prime Minister, wrote on X after Rubiales made his resignation public. “The transformation and improvement of our lives is inevitable. We are with you, Jenni, and with all women.”
Rubiales had been without public supporters other than his mother, who held a short-lived hunger strike in a church in southern Spain. His own federation also publicly asked him to step down and one of his biggest supporters, women’s team coach Jorge Vilda, was fired last week.
Where it all started: Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso was kissed on the lips by Luis Rubiales after the match - something that was without her consent, the player later said. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Pedro Rocha has been in charge of the federation since Rubiales was provisionally suspended by FIFA, the governing body of world football. The Spanish federation said in a statement early Monday that it would start proceedings to call for a new presidential election.
Rubiales also said he has resigned as a vice president of the European football body UEFA because of the reputational danger the scandal could inflict on Spain’s joint bid to host the men’s World Cup.
“I don’t want Spanish football to be hurt by this exaggerated campaign against me, and above all, I take this decision after being assured that my exit would help contribute to the stability that will allow both Europe and Africa to stay united for their dream of 2030, which will permit the greatest sporting event in the world to go to our country,” Rubiales said.
“Insisting in waiting and hanging on would not contribute anything positive (for) either the federation or Spanish football, among other reasons, because the powers that be would stop me from returning (to my job).”
The next men’s World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
The statement from Rubiales late Sunday came at about the same time as the release of clips of an interview he did with TV host Piers Morgan on Britain’s TalkTV.
Women hold placards, depicting red card in football, that read “Stop Violence against Women” during a protest against Royal Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales and in support of the player Jenni Hermoso in Barcelona. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Spanish state prosecutors last week opened the door for Rubiales to face criminal charges, which he still will have to deal with despite resigning from the football federation.
“What I hope is that he goes away through a conviction, a sentencing, not because of his voluntary decision,” Victoria Rosell, a government official dealing with gender violence, was quoted as saying by Spain’s EFE news agency.
Spain, which has moved up to No. 2 in the FIFA rankings, is scheduled to start the Women’s Nations League on September 22 with a visit to top-ranked Sweden. Spain beat Sweden in the Women’s World Cup semifinals.
Comments
SHARE