Spain: Mr. Luis Rubiales has resigned as President of the Spanish Football Federation following criticism over kissing Spain’s forward at the Women’s World Cup final presentation ceremony. Mr. Rubiales had been at the centre of a scandal that had gone far beyond Spain’s borders after he kissed Ms. Jenni Hermoso during the globally televised awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the Women’s World Cup title.
The 33-year-old Ms. Hermoso said the kiss after Spain beat England was not consensual, and she filed a legal complaint.
Mr. Rubiales announced that he had submitted his resignation to the Federation’s Acting President, Mr. Pedro Rocha, in a statement. The 46-year-old has also resigned from his position as vice president of Uefa’s executive committee. The kiss scandal has engulfed Spanish football in recent weeks and overshadowed Spain’s World Cup win, with Mr. Rubiales ignoring repeated calls to resign.
On September 8, a prosecutor filed a complaint with Spain’s high court, following Hermoso’s testimony on September 5, against Mr. Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion. Mr. Rubiales claimed the kiss was “mutual and “consensual” but had been provisionally suspended by football’s world governing body, Fifa.
“After my swift suspension by FIFA and the rest of the cases building against me, it is clear that I cannot return to the post. Insisting on waiting and holding on is not going to contribute to anything positive, neither to the federation nor to Spanish football,” Mr. Rubiales posted on X.
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