The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) faces one of the most difficult moments in its history on Friday. The body, which will hold an Extraordinary General Assembly tomorrow at its headquarters in the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas (Madrid), is torn between supporting its president, Luis Rubiales, or opening a disciplinary dismissal procedure against him in the face of the avalanche of criticism, complaints and requests for resignation for the kiss on the mouth of soccer player Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony for the Women’s Soccer World Cup.
The Government hopes that it will be the RFEF itself that removes Rubiales from his position to put an end to the controversy that has overshadowed the triumph of the Spanish team in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Otherwise, it will have to be the Higher Sports Council (CSD) that initiates the disqualification process, as confirmed yesterday by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta.
“They have to make decisions. If the Federation does not make them, the CSD will,” said the minister in statements to the EFE news agency from India, where he is this week to attend the G20 culture ministerial meeting. “We have a procedure that raises complaints (…) and from there the files are substantiated,” explained Iceta, whose ministry is considering transferring the case to the Administrative Court of Sports (TAD).
“The CSD Board of Directors can submit, without the need for any complaint, proposals for the disqualification of federation presidents when it considers that they have breached the sports regulations,” confirmed the former general director of the CSD, Ana Muñoz, who recalled that there are several precedents.
The acting Minister of Finance and Public Function, María Jesús Montero, has also asked the RFEF for “exemplary” and “forcefulness” this Thursday. In statements to TVE collected by Servimedia, the minister assured that Rubiales’ behavior has been “unpresentable” and “absolutely intolerable” because it supposes an “invasion of a person’s privacy” that she herself has said was “not consented” and which, therefore, must have “consequences”. “The powers of the Government are what they are and the rest of the bodies must also be exemplary,” said Montero.
The requests for resignation are more and more numerous and come from all spheres and social classes, increasing the pressure on the RFEF. The PSOE parliamentary spokesman, Patxi López, said on Wednesday that the best way out for Rubiales is for him to present his resignation, while the general secretary of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, asked to apply “forceful measures.” “We Spaniards do not deserve that image that is embarrassing an entire country in front of the whole world and that is tarnishing a huge victory for a group of women who should be the only protagonists,” Gamarra said in statements to Antena 3 collected by Europa Press .
Added to the political pressure on Rubiales and the RFEF this Wednesday was the step taken by Jenni Hermoso herself, who has demanded that the Federation look after its “interests” and “adopt exemplary measures” against Rubiales. The player broke her silence through a statement from her representation agency and the Association of Professional Soccer Players (Futpro). “We express our firm and resounding condemnation of behaviors that violate the dignity of women. We ask the RFEF to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players and adopt exemplary measures. It is necessary to continue advancing in the fight for equality “, he expressed.
Requests for resignation have also come from the world of sports, as is the case of Ángel Torres, president of Getafe. “What (Rubiales) has to do is resign because this behavior of the RFEF president cannot be tolerated. If he does not resign, a file must be opened and sanctioned as was done with (Ángel María) Villar. Rubiales cannot continue one more minute in office,” said the leader.
The Association of Spanish Soccer Players (AFE), of which Rubiales was president between 2010 and 2018, has also demanded that the provisions of the Sports Law be applied in the event that the RFEF president does not resign, although one of the toughest statements It was sent on Wednesday by the Professional Women’s Soccer League (League F), which has filed a complaint with the president of the CSD, Víctor Francos.
“One of the greatest feats in the history of Spanish sport was sullied by the embarrassing behavior of the highest representative of Spanish football who, once again, and guided by his continuous and usual desire for leadership, proved not to be up to the task. that it holds”, says the note from League F.
“Celebrating the triumph in the box of authorities holding the genitals next to the Queen and the Infanta Sofía is inadmissible and disgusting. That a boss grabs his worker by the head and kisses her on the mouth, simply, cannot be tolerated. Publicly branding of ‘assholes, idiots and scoundrels’ to those who reproach such attitudes is inadmissible and disgusting”, adds the letter from League F, which laments an “attitude that is far removed from the values of our society” and that ” will be forever linked to our women’s team”.
“This behavior has generated a historic social alarm worldwide and has earned the rejection and contempt of the political class, the media and prominent representatives of culture, art or sport. It is an unprecedented international embarrassment for the Brand Spain, for Spanish sport and for world women’s football,” added the women’s football association.
“Society has clearly expressed itself. Spain and Spanish football do not deserve a representative of this level, and the institutions must accompany and respond to the feelings of society,” ends the statement from League F, which requests immediate disqualification of Rubiales.
All fingers point to the General Assembly of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which is the highest governing and representative body of the RFEF and is made up of 140 members, of which 20 are ex officio and 120 are elected, as reported by Servimedia. Among the 140 members are Rubiales himself in his capacity as president of the RFEF, the presidents of the 19 regional federations integrated into the organization and the elected members of the clubs, footballers, referees and coaches.
Of these 140 members, only six are women: the players Andrea Romero, Vanessa Quintana, María de los Ángeles García and Aintzane Gamboa; the referee María Dolores Martínez Madrona, and the futsal player Patricia González.
The vice president of the RFEF, Rafa del Amo, described yesterday as “complicated” the moment that is being lived within the Federation. The top leader of Navarrese football and Luis Rubiales’ right-hand man in the RFEF tried to dodge questions from journalists after the Pamplona City Council received the three Navarrese who have formed part of the Spanish women’s team (Del Amo himself, Javi Lerga and Javier López Vallejo).
“I don’t feel like talking about the situation at all. The president said what he had to say. We are going to let time pass and on Friday there is an assembly. We are going to celebrate that we are world champions,” said Del Amo. “It annoys me a lot that what has really cost us so much has been covered up. That many media outlets are talking about other things, not about what this really is, that it is the first time in history that we are world champions”, added the president of the Navarra Football Federation, who does not know what will happen in the Extraordinary General Assembly on Friday.
“On Friday I don’t know what’s going to happen, I have no idea. I’m dead, I’ve slept very little,” said Del Amo, who asked to stay out of the controversy. “I’m not going to talk, I think it’s not the time. I prefer not to talk about it. Don’t put me in this garden because I think it’s not the day to talk about this,” asked the manager who has sponsored women’s football for several years.
Although the RFEF does not make the decision to dismiss Rubiales, the State Attorney General’s Office already has three complaints against the president of the Federation on its table. Prosecutor sources have informed EFE that the Public Ministry has received three complaints from individuals requesting to investigate Rubiales.
One of the complaints was presented by the president of the National School of Football Coaches in Spain (Cenafe), Miguel Galán, who also went to the Madrid Prosecutor’s Office to denounce the episode, which is receiving a barrage of criticism and requests for resignation. to Rubiales.
Apart from criminal proceedings, the president of the Federation faces two complaints before the Higher Sports Council (CSD), dependent on the Ministry of Culture and Sports: one also presented by Galán and another by Sumar, the political formation led by the vice president second of the Government Yolanda Díaz, who requests that Rubiales be removed from office.
