Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Spanish FA president’s mother opens up about ongoing hunger strike
The fallout from Rubiales kiss of Jenni Hermoso continues as the Spanish Football Federation finally request the resignation of their beleaguered president
The fallout from Luis Rubiales’ kiss row is finally coming to a head as his mother has explained her hunger strike in order to end the “inhumane witch-hunt” on her son and leading officials within the Spanish Football Federation (Rfef) have asked the suspended president to resign.
Rubiales’ mother locked herself in a church in their hometown of Motril on Monday to conduct the hunger strike, although she broke her cover on Tuesday evening to discuss the situation with the world’s press. Angeles Bejar urged Jenni Hermoso to ‘tell the truth’ about the president’s on-pitch kiss of her following the Women’s World Cup final that has led to accusations of sexual assault.
Her son was suspended by Fifa for kissing Hermoso on the lips in an act the footballer says she did not consent to. Fifa banned Rubiales from all football-related activity for 90 days over his conduct and have launched an investigation into his behaviour, while Spanish police are now investigating the federation president for alleged sexual assault. The heads of the regional bodies that make up the Spanish FA have now also produced a collective statement asking for Rubiales’ resignation.
Following his high-profile refusal to resign at a press conference last Friday, the Spanish women’s national team signed a letter stating their intent not to play for the country until Rubiales is removed from his role and the coaching staff – excepting manager Jorge Vilda – have all walked out. And in bizarre new developments, the Spanish FA requested that Uefa excludes their national and club teams from all European competitions because of Spanish government intervention in the crisis – a request which Uefa has denied.
Follow all the latest updates from the Luis Rubiales crisis:
Luis Rubiales kiss scandal in pictures
Luis Rubiales crisis: Timeline of how Spanish FA president fell from grace
25 August 2023: Rubiales does not resign, apologising again for his behaviour but insisting that the kiss was “mutual, euphoric and consensual.” “I will not resign, I will not resign,” he tells an extraordinary general assembly called by the federation. “A social assassination is taking place. “I’ve come under a lot of pressure. Perhaps somebody will look to remove me on Monday. But we live in a country of laws. Is a consensual kiss enough to remove me? I’m going to fight until the end. I hope the law is followed, and that as there’s no reason to [remove me], it won’t happen.”
26 August 2023: Rubiales is provisionally suspended from all football activities by Fifa for 90 days.
28 August 2023: Members of the former defender’s family lock themselves inside a church in the coastal town of Motril in the south of Spain. His mother, Angeles Bejar, vows to go on hunger strike until the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt which my son is being subjected to” is concluded. Uefa, meanwhile, say that no action will be taken despite a request from Rfef to be expelled from competition for breaking the European football governing body’s own statutes on state interference. Rfef’s regional presidents ask for Rubiales to resign after being called to an “extraordinary and urgent” meeting in Madrid.
Luis Rubiales crisis: Timeline of how Spanish FA president fell from grace
20 August 2023: Spain win the Women’s World Cup for the first time. Rubiales kisses midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal presentation ceremony and grabs his crotch during the game.
21 August 2023: Rubiales issues an initial apology after Spain’s minister for culture and sport, Miquel Iceta, describes his actions as “unacceptable”.
23 August 2023: Pressure builds on Rubiales as a number of Spanish clubs call for his resignation. The Spanish Players’ Association, Liga F and Fifpro all condemn his behaviour.
24 August 2023: Fifa opens disciplinary proceedings against the 46-year-old, and it is widely reported that Rubiales will resign as Rfef president on Friday 25 August.
Luis Rubiales crisis: Timeline of how Spanish FA president fell from grace
May 2018: Luis Rubiales is elected president of the Spanish FA (Rfef)
February 2019: The former Levante and Hamilton Academical defender joins Uefa’s executive committee
September 2020: Rubiales is re-elected to the position unopposed after Iker Casillas drops out of contention
September 2022: 15 players on the Spanish women’s national team demand improvements to the structure and support of the side, including highlighting concerns over the management of Jorge Vilda. Rfef back the coach and threaten the rebelling players with bans of up to five years - most of the 15 are not selected in Vilda’s World Cup squad.
Luis Rubiales saga has overshadowed Spain World Cup win, says Lionesses’ Ella Toone
Ella Toone has said that England’s Lionesses “all stand behind Jennifer Hermoso” with Luis Rubiales still yet to resign after kissing the Spain midfielder without her consent after the Women’s World Cup final.
The president of the Spanish football association (Rfef) has refused to step down from his role after the incident during the medal ceremony that followed Spain’s triumph over England in Australia.
Rubiales, who was also criticised for grabbing his crotch during the final, had been expected to resign last week, but declined to do so at an extraordinary press conference.
The saga took another bizarre turn on Monday after the 46-year-old’s mother locked herself inside a church and went on hunger strike, describing the reaction to her son’s behaviour as “an inhuman, bloodthirsty witch-hunt”.
Manchester United’s Toone, who was part of the Lionesses side beaten in Sydney, believes that Rubiales’s actions and the subsequent outcry have overshadowed Spain’s first Women’s World Cup win.
Protesters gather in Madrid calling for Spanish football federation president to resign
Hundreds of people waving women’s rights placards gathered in the centre of Madrid on Monday 28 August to protest against the Spanish football federation’s president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales was provisionally suspended by Fifa on Saturday 26 August, pending an investigation into his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on 20 August.
The 46-year-old grabbed his crotch in the VIP area of the stadium in celebration of Spain’s win over England, before kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation.
His mother is on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son, according to reports in Spain.
Watch the video of the protest here:
Hundreds of protesters gather in Madrid calling for Spanish football chief to resign
Hundreds of people waving women’s rights placards gathered in the centre of Madrid on Monday 28 August to protest against the Spanish football federation’s president Luis Rubiales. Rubiales was provisionally suspended by Fifa on Saturday 26 August, pending an investigation into his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on 20 August. The 46-year-old grabbed his crotch in the VIP area of the stadium in celebration of Spain’s win over England, before kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation. His mother is on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son, according to reports in Spain.
Is the World Cup kiss Spain’s Me Too moment?
Imagine, for a moment, the world’s worst fantasy dinner party. Donald Trump is there with his mate Vladimir Putin. Dan Wootton of GB News is in full anti-woke flow. Nadine Dorries is loudly guffawing at everything Boris Johnson says.
Around the table, self-congratulation is the principal topic of conversation. Everyone is enjoying this celebration of the architects of post-truth. Then, suddenly, all eyes are drawn to the one guest nobody had heard of until last week: Luis Rubiales, the Spanish football administrator and a man previously barely recognised beyond the confines of his own front room (and certainly not in his own kitchen: that’s where women go).
Fearful that others are hogging the limelight, he congratulates the hostess for the quality of her cooking by grabbing her in an aggressive embrace, before giving her a full-on smacker on the lips and clutching at his groin in an unmistakable gesture of sexual self-aggrandisement.
When she looks a touch discombobulated, he launches a vociferous attack on her, accusing her of conducting a vendetta against him. He will sue for defamation, he says as he throws the food across the table. And if she carries on with her insulting attacks on his integrity, then he has no alternative: he will instruct his mum to lock herself in her local church and go on hunger strike in protest.
If that reads like the plot of a particularly unlikely episode of Black Mirror, what has been going on in Spain these past few days has been no less ridiculous. After the country’s women’s team won the World Cup, there has barely been time or space to talk about the brilliance of their play or the meaning of their achievement.
Jim White discusses the fallout of the Rubiales scandal:
Is the World Cup kiss Spain’s Me Too moment? | Jim White
…not if the sexist, bullying, groin-grabbing men who run the game have anything to do with it, writes Jim White. Which is why football needs a revolution – not just another set piece from the Trump playbook
Luis Rubiales - latest updates
Leading officials within the Spanish Football Federation asked suspended president Luis Rubiales to resign for kissing a player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final.
The heads of the regional bodies that make up the federation (Rfef) made the request in a collective statement.
“After the latest developments and the unacceptable behaviour that has caused great damage to the image of Spanish soccer, the presidents request that Luis Rubiales resign immediately as president of the Rfef,” the statement said.
The heads also urged interim president Pedro Rocha to immediately withdraw the federation’s request to Uefa to suspend it from international competitions because of government interference over demands to remove Rubiales.
That move was widely seen as an attempt to silence some of Rubiales’ critics, including government ministers who have asked for his removal, as such a suspension would ban Spanish teams from competitions like the Champions League and could sway public opinion in favour of letting him keep his job.
Spanish FA asks president Luis Rubiales to resign after World Cup kiss
Leading officials within the Spanish Football Federation have asked suspended president Luis Rubiales to resign after kissing a player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final
Spanish FA considers reasons to sack World Cup-winning manager Jorge Vilda
The Spanish Football Federation is considering whether it has grounds to sack Spain Women’s World Cup-winning head coach Jorge Vilda, according to reports.
Vilda is still in the post after most of his coaching staff resigned in protest against federation (Rfef) president Luis Rubiales, who has refused to quit for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso after their World Cup final win.
All of Spain’s 23 World Cup winners, plus another 58 players, have said they will not represent their country until Rubiales has left his post.
Rubiales, 46, was provisionally suspended by FIFA on Saturday pending an investigation into his conduct in Sydney after Spain’s win against England on August 20.
He was applauded by Vilda after repeatedly insisting that he would not quit at the Rfef’s extraordinary general meeting last Friday and the federation is exploring its options over whether they can sack the head coach.
Spanish FA considers reasons to sack World Cup-winning manager Jorge Vilda
Vilda coached the team to Women’s World Cup triumph but it has been overshadowed by the conduct of federation president Luis Rubiales
‘I am willing to die:’ Luis Rubiales’ mother continues hunger strike locked inside church
The mother of suspended Spanish football president Luis Rubiales remains locked inside a church on hunger strike in protest against her son’s treatment after he kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the World Cup final.
“I will remain here for as long as my body can,” Angeles Bejar messaged a Spanish TV station from inside the church in Motril, southern Spain. “I am willing to die for justice because my son is a decent person and it is not fair what they’re doing.”
Bejar is holed up inside the parish church of Divina Pastora in the family’s home town, alongside her sister. Speaking outside the church on Monday, Rubiales’ cousin Vanessa Ruiz described Bejar as a “woman of great faith who has sought refuge in God”, and said the family wanted Hermoso to “tell the truth” that the kiss was not forced.
‘I am willing to die:’ Luis Rubiales’ mother continues hunger strike inside church
Angeles Bejar remains inside her local church in the town of Motril while her son refuses to resign as president of the Spanish Football Federation
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies