Luis Rubiales has refused to straight apologise to Jenni Hermoso over the kiss that finally pressured his resignation as Spanish soccer federation president.
In an interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV, Rubiales as an alternative continued to keep up the kiss was “consensual” and went on to recommend that the detrimental publicity over the affair had been “created by spurious arguments and people”.
Rubiales introduced his resignation in a press release posted on his unverified X account – previously Twitter – on Sunday night, having already been suspended by FIFA pending an investigation into his behaviour.
Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips in the course of the trophy presentation after Spain’s victory over England in final month’s World Cup closing. Hermoso mentioned the kiss was not consensual and has submitted a grievance to the nationwide prosecutor’s workplace.
“What happened is bad for everyone,” Rubiales responded when requested by Morgan if he would apologise on to Hermoso.
“We had Jenni lifting me. We had the fleeting kiss, two tenths of a second, but what was created from that is crazy. So what’s left for me is to defend my dignity. So it’s not about that (the apology) Piers, it’s about humility.”
So what we had is a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that each consented to, which was pushed by the emotion of the second, the happiness, so I keep that that’s the fact of what occurred
Luis Rubiales
Asked once more if he wished to apologise, Rubiales continued: “So what we had is a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was driven by the emotion of the moment, the happiness, so I maintain that that is the truth of what happened.
“This has turned out to be a snowball created by spurious arguments and people. My intentions were noble, enthusiastic, 100 per cent non-sexual.
“There was no harm, no sexual content, no aggression, nothing like that. As president, once again, I will say… the significance of the kiss to Jenni would have been exactly the same as a kiss to one of my daughters. Between friends and family, that’s very, very common.”
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Rubiales has been broadly condemned for his behaviour following the ultimate, when in addition to kissing Hermoso he additionally grabbed his crotch in celebration whereas standing alongside Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia within the VIP field.
Despite issuing a common apology for his actions in a video assertion issued the subsequent day, Rubiales persistently refused to resign within the wake of a mounting revolt which noticed 81 gamers, together with each member of the World Cup-winning squad, indicating their unavailability for the nationwide group squad whereas he remained in his publish.
On August 26 he was banned by FIFA from all football-related actions for an preliminary interval of 90 days, whereas Spain supervisor Jorge Vilda – about whom considerations over his teaching strategies had been expressed – was sacked.
Despite persevering with to emphasize that his kiss with Hermoso was “mutual”, Rubiales did acknowledge that it was a “mistake” that was not befitting of his function as Spanish FA president.
“Of course, I have said it from the beginning, I made a mistake and I apologised in a sincere manner,” added Rubiales.
“I was very happy, I felt like another player. I have apologised unreservedly, that is not the actions of the president of the association.
“Because a president can’t behave that way towards the executives at the game on the podium, yes, a president can give a hug, but needs to act in a more diplomatic and colder way.”
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