The apologies and explanations offered on Monday by the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, for the kiss he gave Jenni Hermoso during the celebration of the Women’s World Cup on Sunday are not enough for Pedro Sánchez. “It was an unacceptable gesture and Mr. Rubiales’ apologies are not enough; they are not even suitable. Therefore, he must continue taking steps to clarify what we saw in the media, ”said the acting head of the Executive at the press conference offered this Tuesday in La Moncloa to report on his meeting with the King about the investiture .
Before, Sánchez had received the team and had seen their faces with Rubiales, who remained in the second or third place during the reception. “The players have done everything to win. But there have been some behaviors, such as those of Mr. Rubiales, which show that in our country there is still a long way to go in terms of equality and respect, and in the equalization of rights between women and men,” added the president.
From the PP, Cuca Gamarra, spokesman for the party in Congress and general secretary, described Rubiales’ attitude as “embarrassing”, in a press conference from the lower house. “All institutional managers have a duty to be exemplary,” she said, “and that exemplary must be respect for women and what we saw in that final in this sense was embarrassing,” she insisted. “Only embarrassment is what comes to my mind, at the very least,” she added. On the same stage, the person who spoke out a day before about Rubiales was the acting second vice president of the Government and leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz. “We continue to ask for the resignation of the man who has harassed and assaulted a woman. Her excuses are useless at all, ”she stated at a press conference after the round of consultations with the King.
In addition to the kiss to Hermoso, hours later some images emerged in which Rubiales appeared in the authorities’ box at the Sydney stadium, next to Queen Letizia and the Infanta Sofía, celebrating Spain’s triumph by putting her hands to her genitals.
In Rubiales’ first public reaction, still in Australia, there was no hint of self-criticism about his kiss to Hermoso. Quite the contrary, which further raised the level of censorship in Spain. In the minutes before getting on the plane back home, the president was very angry with the climate of response that was beginning to reach him. “Let’s ignore the idiots and the stupid. It is a peak of two friends celebrating something ”, he launched himself in statements to Cadena Cope. “We are not for bullshit with everything I have been through. Let’s enjoy the good and don’t tell me about losers who don’t know how to see the positive. One thing that has no evil… If there are fools, let them continue with their nonsense. Let’s not listen to them, ”he continued into the microphones.
However, the president of the federation backed down during the long flight to Doha, where a technical stop was scheduled for the charter that Iberia had chartered for the entire expedition, and in view of the fact that criticism did not stop increasing and that there were political leaders who demanded his resignation. Then, and only then, Rubiales was forced to record a video at the airport in the capital of Qatar with some words that this Tuesday Pedro Sánchez considered insufficient. “I have to apologize, there is no other option, right?” Rubiales started. “And, furthermore, learn from this and understand that, when one is president of such an important institution, he has to be more careful, especially in ceremonies. When I say that this seems idiotic to me, it is because nobody here gave it the slightest importance, but outside they have given it. So, I also want to apologize to those people because, if it has been seen otherwise from the outside, they surely have their reasons. Given the greatest success in our history in women’s football and one of the greatest in general, this has somewhat tarnished the celebration, ”he pointed out in statements distributed by the federation.
The request of Rubiales and Vilda
On the return trip to Spain, after the title won by the Spanish team in Sydney, Luis Rubiales agreed with the Federation’s communication managers to make a video in which he would apologize for his non-consensual kiss to Jennifer Hermoso, in the Red celebration – “I didn’t like it. But, what do I do?”, the soccer player had complained. The Spanish expedition had a stopover in Doha and Rubiales had decided to defend him at the Qatar airport. But first he decided to talk to Hermoso. According to Relief, the president asked the striker to participate with him in the video. Since he failed to convince her, it was Jorge Vidal, La Roja’s coach, who was in charge of trying to persuade the scorer. Also without success. The Federation denied this information.
Complaint by former referee Estrada Fernández
The former First Division referee Xavier Estrada Fernández, who already denounced the Negreira casehas filed a complaint with the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) against its president, Luis Rubiales, after he kissed the player Jenni Hermoso without permission after winning the Women’s World Cup in Sydney (Australia).
In a statement released this Tuesday by his lawyer, Estrada Fernández has demanded the immediate resignation of Rubiales, describing his behavior as “unacceptable” for a president of the RFEF. In addition, he has detailed that this act is an “obvious abuse of authority, inadmissible” in the legal system.
“As the RFEF’s own action protocol against sexual violence says, sexual violence is a form of serious violation of fundamental rights such as dignity, physical and moral integrity, and sexual freedom,” he added in the note. .
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