Finally, Luis Rubiales, Spanish Football Federation president resigns over kiss controversy

Luis Rubiales, the suspended president of the Spanish football federation, finally bulged under immense pressure on Sunday and resigned three weeks after his kiss of a player on the lips overshadowed Spain’s first-ever Women’s World Cup title.

Rubiales had been at the center of a controversy that had gone far beyond Spain’s borders and the world of sport after he kissed Jenni Hermoso during the globally televised awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title.

“About my resignation, yes, I will do it, yes, because I cannot continue my work,” he said in an interview with English television journalist Piers Morgan.

He had already been temporarily suspended from his job by FIFA for his conduct at the final and, after football’s world body opened a disciplinary case, remained defiant and hostile toward those who criticized him.

Then came the most serious threat yet to Rubiales, when Spanish state prosecutors accused him on Friday of sexual assault and coercion after the kiss, two days after Hermoso formally accused him of sexual assault.

Once the most powerful man in Spanish soccer, Rubiales insisted the kiss was consensual and done in a “moment of jubilation.” He said it was like one “I could give one of my daughters.”

The player said the kiss was without her consent and denied Rubiales claim in statements issued by her and her players’ union. The player also said she and her family were pressured by the federation to show their support for Rubiales. Fans, players, and politicians publicly disagreed with Rubiales and saw it as a sexist act and an abuse of authority.

Rubiales said he had also resigned as UEFA vice president due to the reputational danger the scandal could inflict on Spain’s joint bid to host the 2030 men’s World Cup along with Portugal, Morocco and possibly Ukraine.

Two weeks ago, Rubiales had been expected to step down amid the immediate wave of criticism for his conduct at the final, which included a lewd gesture of grabbing his crotch, with Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter, Princess Sofía, nearby.

Instead, in a defiant speech before his federation’s general assembly, he refused to go quietly and claimed he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”

After Rubiales accused Hermoso of lying about what he said was a kiss she had consented to, Spain’s women’s world champions, along with dozens of players, refused to play again for their country until there were changes in the federation’s leadership. The firing of the women’s team coach Jorge Vilda was not enough by itself for them to come back.

LENS with wire report