RFEF
Rubiales and FA issue overnight statement and threaten legal action against Jenni Hermoso and Futpro
The president of the Spanish FA refuses to stand down from his position and becomes more entrenched with the latest communique.
Despite everything pointing to Luis Rubiales standing down on Friday morning, the executive surprised many as he sensationally refused to resign as president of the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) at the organisation’s emergency EGM, which was hastily called after the 46-year-old was seen kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips after La Roja had won the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history at Stadium Australia in Sydney last Sunday.
During the course of the day, calls for Rubiales departure came from all quarters with many LaLiga clubs also calling out the 46-year-old for unacceptable behaviour with the hardest hitting coming from Osasuna where the side from Pamplona claimed that: “the applause head for Rubiales in the meeting takes us back in time and reflects just how distant Mr. Rubiales and his supporters are from the majority in society”.
Later on Friday evening and less than a week after winning the World Cup, the entire Spanish squad have said they will not play again for “La Roja” whilst Rubiales and the current board of executives are in power. Shortly after, Jenni Hermoso issued her first public statement since Sunday’s final and confirmed that the Rubiales kiss was conducted without her consent.
RFEF issue overnight statement
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Spanish Football Federation issued a statement in which it endeavours to justify Luis Rubiales actions in the moments before he kissed Jenni Hermoso. The statement also adds that it is an obligation for all players to represent their national team if called up and concludes by stating that the RFEF and Rubiales will initiate appropriate legal action against FutPro and Jenni Hermoso for their respectives statements issued on Friday.
Full RFEF statement issued Saturday 26 August
“The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has become aware of the statement issued by the Futpro union regarding the intervention of Mr. Luis Rubiales, the President of the RFEF, during the Extraordinary Assembly of the RFEF. As is customary, even though it is an Assembly of a private entity, and in the spirit of absolute transparency that has characterized Mr. Rubiales’ tenure, the event was livestreamed and the feed was provided to all media outlets that wished to connect.
The union’s statement claims to speak on behalf of Ms. Jennifer Hermoso and attributes statements to the player, which are enclosed in quotation marks, implying that they were spoken by her.
The RFEF wishes to communicate to the public that the competent bodies within the RFEF responsible for handling the complaints filed with the Federation have attempted to contact Ms. Jennifer Hermoso, but these attempts have been unsuccessful.
The RFEF announces its intention to take any necessary legal actions in defense of the honorability of the President of the RFEF. He has clearly and simply explained how the events, which have become a source of controversy and ridicule by wide sectors of society against him, transpired.
The note states (quoting attributed to Ms. Jennifer Hermoso): “I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, I never consented to the kiss he planted on me, and of course, I never attempted to lift the president. I will not tolerate my word being doubted, and even less so for words I never uttered.”
In a state governed by the rule of law, as the President has advocated, opinions are countered with facts and evidence, and falsehoods are challenged in the courts.
The President of the RFEF has sought to handle this matter with the utmost respect for the players and institutions, and only when an insurmountable red line was crossed did he publicly provide his version of the events.
The version of events presented by the President is corroborated by internal records that have been opened. To date, Ms. Jennifer Hermoso has not responded to any of the requests made.
And the first demonstration that the events presented by the President are entirely accurate and truthful will be provided in this statement, accompanied by accompanying images.
Image 1:
Ms. Jennifer Hermoso, with her arms, grips the President of the RFEF from behind, while the President’s arms are loosely placed on the player’s upper back. Thus, no force could have been exerted.
It can be observed that the President’s heels are slightly lifted off the ground.
Image 2:
Ms. Jennifer Hermoso continues to hold the President from behind. The President’s arms remain on the upper part of the player’s body.
It is evident that the President’s heels are even more elevated.
Image 3:
Ms. Jennifer Hermoso maintains the same grip on the President’s body, while the President must bring his arms closer to the player’s back due to being lifted off the ground and to maintain balance.
The inclination of Ms. Jennifer Hermoso’s back is unmistakable, occurring as a result of her exertion of force.
The President’s feet are clearly and conspicuously off the ground due to the force applied by the player.
Image 4:
Ms. Jennifer Hermoso continues to hold the President in the same manner, while the President must continue holding onto the player to avoid falling. It is clearly evident that the arching of the player’s body corresponds to the lifting force exerted by the President.
The President’s feet are notably off the ground due to the player’s action.
The evidence is conclusive. The President has not lied.
The RFEF and the President will demonstrate each falsehood that is spread, whether by someone on behalf of the player or, if necessary, by the player herself.
Given the gravity of the content in the press release by the Futpro union, the RFEF and the President will initiate the appropriate legal actions.
The RFEF laments that after such an extraordinary sporting success as witnessed in the World Football Championship, the situation cannot be celebrated as it deserves due to entirely non-sporting reasons.
In any case, and as it should be, the RFEF respects, as it has always respected, the decisions of the players to participate or not with the Spanish national team in international matches. Nevertheless, it is noted that participation in the national team is an obligation for all federated individuals if called upon to do so”.