The president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, announced on Sunday that he would resign from his position after kissing one of his country’s national team players during the celebration of winning the Women’s World Cup last month.
“I will do so (resign), yes, because I cannot complete my work,” Rubiales said in an interview with the “Piers Morgan Uncensored” program.
The Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office had filed a complaint with the Supreme Court against Rubiales on charges of sexual assault and coercion due to a kiss on the lips of player Jenny Hermoso without her desire.
The prosecution filed the lawsuit with the Spanish National Court in Madrid two days after the player filed a criminal complaint against Rubiales, accusing him of sexual assault.
According to the sexual consent law passed last year in Spain, Rubiales may face a fine or a prison sentence of between one and four years if he is found guilty of sexual assault.
Rubiales sparked angry reactions around the world after he kissed Hermoso on the lips during the coronation ceremony after Spain won the Women’s World Cup title in Sydney on August 20.
Hermoso later said the unwanted kiss made her feel “vulnerable and like a victim of assault,” and in a statement on social media, she described it as “a reckless, masculine, inappropriate act and without any kind of consent on my part.”
On the other hand, Rubiales claimed that the kiss was consensual.
The International Federation (FIFA) temporarily suspended Rubiales for 90 days after he refused to resign from his position.
About 81 female players in the country also went on strike in protest against the violent defensive speech delivered by the 46-year-old president of the Spanish Federation following the incident, in which he criticized “false feminism.”
2023-09-10 20:24:26
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