Scenes from Spain’s team bus
Rubiales wants to relieve himself with another video
08/30/2023, 3:35 p.m
Luis Rubiales remains vehement: the kiss he gave world champion Jennifer Hermoso at the World Cup award ceremony was mutual. He now wants to underline how little she was touched by it with a video compilation. He sends this to FIFA, which has suspended him.
In the kiss scandal surrounding the Spanish football association boss Luis Rubiales, who has since been suspended, the accused sent a video to the world association FIFA to exonerate him, according to a media report. With the edited recordings, Rubiales wants to prove that the player Jennifer Hermoso, who he kissed on the mouth at the award ceremony after winning the World Cup final in Sydney on August 20, contradicts herself and is not telling the truth, writes the digital newspaper “El Español”. The video was also published by other media in Spain.
According to El Español, footage taken on the Spain team bus shows some players mocking the incident in a relaxed atmosphere. Hermoso can also be seen. She is holding her smartphone, which compares Rubiales’ kiss attack on her to Spain’s world-champion goalkeeper kissing his then-partner, TV journalist Sara Carbonero, after the 2010 title. She says to colleagues: “He was moved and everything. He comes and touches me like that.” In another scene, several players shout “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss”, among other things. As Rubiales passes them, some chant “Presi, Presi, Presi”.
Before the scenes on the bus, Rubiales had announced in the dressing room that he wanted to invite all players to Ibiza. Referring to the kiss, he said: “In Ibiza we will celebrate the wedding of Jenni and Luis Rubiales.”
“Situation shocked me”
The video sequences do not prove that the kiss took place by mutual consent, as Rubiales continues to assert. Rubiales had taken Hermoso’s head in both hands at the award ceremony and then kissed her on the mouth. Right after the incident in the dressing room, Hermoso said she didn’t like it. According to what she said was a forged statement by the association, in which soothing words had been put into Hermoso’s mouth, she had defended herself. She stated that she “felt like I was the victim of an impulsive, sexist and inappropriate act that I did not consent to”.
She also said in the statement about her cautious reaction at the moment: “I was shocked by the situation because it was a celebration. I believe that no one should be the victim of this type of non-consensual behavior. I felt vulnerable and the victim of impulsive, macho aggression. I wasn’t respected.”
In response, a few days later, a total of 81 national players entered the boycott for as long as Rubiales is in office. Almost the entire coaching staff then resigned, with the exception of head coach Jorge Vilda.
Another video refutes Rubiales’ statements
Before the new video from the bus, the association had already tried to prove with four images that Hermoso had lifted Rubiales and agreed to the kiss. However, “Marca” has now published a video of the scene showing that Rubiales jumped on the player. This refutes the statements of the 46-year-old.
On Monday evening, the regional presidents of the RFEF urged Rubiales to resign. Sports Minister Miquel Iceta also wants to apply for a suspension from the government. However, Rubiales still refuses to resign. His mother, Angeles Bejar, has gone on a hunger strike over the alleged “inhumane and bloody hunt” for her son.
The Sports Court TAD first wants to examine further documents, the government sent further documents on Tuesday. The Spanish public prosecutor’s office launched a preliminary investigation against Rubiales on Monday on suspicion of “sexual assault”. Rubiales had already been temporarily banned for 90 days by the world association FIFA at the weekend, and there was also a ban on contact with Hermoso.