The mother of Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales, temporarily suspended and under investigation for having forcibly kissed a player during Spain’s world title, began a hunger strike on Monday to denounce “the harassment” suffered by his son.
Angeles Bejar began her hunger strike from the church in Motril, southern Spain, where she intends to stay until Jenni Hermoso, the player who was surprised kissed on the mouth by her son, “tell the truth” about what happened, explained to the press Vanessa Ruiz Bejar, the cousin of Luis Rubiales on the threshold of the building. “This harassment is not fair. Her mother, who is very religious, has found refuge with God. She has started a hunger strike and does not want to leave the church,” she said, arguing that according to her, the player has “changed her statements three times”.
Opening of a preliminary investigation for “sexual assault”
Luis Rubiales grew up in Motril and his father was even mayor of the city. Aged 46, he was suspended on Saturday by Fifa “from all football-related activity at national and international level” for 90 days and the Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a preliminary investigation on Monday for alleged “sexual assault”. The affair, already dubbed the “#MeToo of Spanish football” and which eclipsed the world title of La Roja Feminine, caused a wave of indignation in Spain but also abroad.
At the head of the federation since 2018, Luis Rubiales has been at the heart of a media whirlwind since he was filmed on Sunday in Sydney, in full celebration of the victory of the women’s Roja over England in the World Cup final. , taking Jennifer Hermoso’s head with both hands before kissing her by surprise on the mouth. As soon as she returned to the locker room, the player said during a live broadcast on Instagram: “I didn’t like it, huh!”.
A kiss not consented to by the player
Faced with the scale of the first outraged reactions, the Spanish federation had transmitted to the press statements by Jenni Hermoso according to which it was “a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense joy that the victory in the world”.
But on Friday, when Luis Rubiales claimed before the federation that the kiss was not only consented to but that he had asked permission, Jenni Hermoso split a press release in which she announced that she had never given his agreement: “I felt vulnerable and victim of an aggression, an impulsive and sexist act, moved and without any consent on my part”.