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Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, has resigned from his position as a result of the fallout which has followed his kiss on World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso. The unwanted kiss, which occurred in the wake of the 1-0 victory over England, came as the former president celebrated with the players.
Since the incident, Rubiales has been the subject of plenty of backlash, both public and legal. The former came first, after Hermoso was asked about the kiss following the game and responded with “I didn't like that,” but last week the response escalated when Hermoso filed a criminal complaint. Rubiales now faces charges of sexual assault and coercion. He was also suspended from football-related activity by FIFA for 90 days
Rubiales isn't the only one to have met his demise amid the fallout from the incident. Last Tuesday, Spanish head coach Jorge Vilda was also fired. For a time, however, Rubiales refused to fall on his sword, blaming “false feminism” for the criticism which came his way.
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That's all changed now. In his letter of resignation, Rubiales said: “After the suspension by FIFA, in addition to the rest of the proceedings against me, it is clear that I will not be able to return to my position.”
But despite his resignation, Rubiales appears to be remaining steadfast in his position that he's the victim of an excessive campaign, claiming that “there are powers that be that will prevent my return. I do not want Spanish football to be harmed by this disproportionate campaign.”
Regardless of whether that campaign has been disproportionate or not, however, it had become clear that Luis Rubiales' position was indeed untenable, and his resignation always just appeared to be a matter of time.
