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FOOTBALL

Rubiales kiss ‘damaging the image’ of Spanish football: Iniesta

Spanish football legend Andres Iniesta on Sunday joined the growing number of voices denouncing the country's federation president, Luis Rubiales, saying his forced kiss with Jenni Hermoso after the women's World Cup final was "damaging the image" of Spanish football.

Rubiales kiss 'damaging the image' of Spanish football: Iniesta
Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta attends a press conference at Emirates Club in Ras al-Khaimah. Photo: Giuseppe CACACE/AFP.

“After what has happened this week I would like to convey my sadness as a person, as a father of three daughters, as a husband and as a footballer” at what has happened around “our football and around the Spanish women’s national team”, Iniesta wrote on his social networks.

“I believe that we cannot tolerate actions like the ones we have seen, which have tarnished such a great milestone as winning a World Cup,” added the scorer of the goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 men’s final, which gave Spain their first World Cup.

Hermoso said “at no time” did she consent to the kiss on the lips following the 1-0 win in the final against England in Sydney, which Rubiales described as “mutual, euphoric and consensual”.

Hermoso and 80 other Spain players, including the entire World Cup squad, said they will not play for the national team until the “leadership” changes.

The majority of the women’s team’s coaching staff have also offered their resignations.

“I can’t imagine the feeling that all the national team players must be feeling right now seeing how they are not talking about the great tournament they had and the fantastic football they taught us all,” said Iniesta.

“Instead, we have had to put up with a president who has clung on to his position, who has not admitted that his behaviour has been unacceptable and is damaging the image of our country and our football around the world.

“It’s a shame that a beautiful story that so many players have built over so many years has been soiled.”

On Saturday, Rubiales was handed a 90-day suspension by world governing body FIFA as it undertakes disciplinary proceedings against him.

The Spanish federation responded by saying Rubiales will defend himself “so the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven”.

The 46-year-old, however, may face further complications with Spanish media reporting Sunday that the country’s administrative court for sport (TAD) will meet on Monday to consider a request from the government to suspend him from his duties as president.

This could last longer than FIFA’s 90 days depending on how the court views the government’s charges against Rubiales of “very serious offences”, a possible “abuse of authority” and “acts that undermine sporting dignity or decorum”.

“We are going to ask the TAD to meet on Monday,” said Spain’s Minister for Sport, Miquel Iceta, in an interview with the daily El Pais on Saturday.

“If the TAD accepts the government’s complaint, we will immediately suspend the president from his duties.”

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FOOTBALL

Rubiales to go on trial in February in Spain over unwanted kiss

Disgraced former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales will stand trial in February next year for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of Women's World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso, the court overseeing the process said Monday.

Rubiales to go on trial in February in Spain over unwanted kiss

Rubiales, 46, provoked worldwide outrage by kissing Hermoso during the medal ceremony after Spain beat England to win the World Cup in Australia last year.

In May a court had ruled Rubiales should be tried for sexual assault over the kiss, and for the alleged coercion subsequently exerted to make her say that it was consensual, without setting a date.

The trial will be held at the Audiencia Nacional, a Madrid court in charge of complex cases, from February 3 to 19, the court said in a statement.

Public prosecutors have requested a sentence of two-and-a-half years in prison for Luis Rubiales — one year for sexual assault and 18 months for coercion.

The prosecution is also asking for two years’ probation once the sentence has been served and for him to pay €50,000 ($54,000) in compensation to the player.

Rubiales is also under investigation in a separate alleged corruption case involving his reign at the federation, has denied any wrongdoing.

Three of his former associates are also being tried for putting pressure on Hermoso: former women’s coach Jorge Vilda, men’s team director Albert Luque and federation marketing boss Ruben Rivera.

The kiss took place live in front of the world’s cameras, provoking widespread outrage and prompting his suspension by world football governing body FIFA.

At the time, Rubiales brushed it off as “a consensual” peck on the lips, but Hermoso, 34, said it was not.

Under Spanish law, a non-consensual kiss can be classed as sexual assault — a criminal category that groups all types of sexual violence.

Rubiales told private Spanish television station La Sexta in April that he could not understand how the kiss he gave Hermoso could be labelled as sexual assault, saying there was “no sexual context” to it.

He denied accusations that he and other federation officials coerced Hermoso by pressuring her to speak out in his defence after the scandal erupted.

“I have a clear conscience, things have been blown out of proportion,” Rubiales said.

Hermoso filed a lawsuit against Rubiales in September, telling the judge she had come under pressure to defend him both on the flight back from Australia and on a subsequent team holiday to Ibiza in the Balearic Islands.

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