Ex-Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales, who was accused of sexual assault for allegedly forcibly kissing a female player on the lips, says that the only reason he was convicted is because of “false feminism” and because he is a man.
Rubiales raised eyebrows when he was accused of grabbing Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso and kissing her on the lips against her will after the Women’s World Cup final in 2023.
The soccer chief refused to resign after the controversial act that was dubbed “kissgate,” saying that there was nothing sexual in the kiss.
“My desire at that moment was exactly the same as if I’d have been kissing one of my daughters,” Rubiales said last August. “No more or less. Everybody understands that. It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric, and consensual.”
Rubiales also claimed he asked Hermoso for a kiss, and she said yes.
Jenni Hermoso said “she didn’t enjoy” being kissed by Spanish football president Luis Rubiales who has now apologised to any “people who felt hurt”
— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) August 21, 2023
pic.twitter.com/ZaqZhuQtIO
“In the moment that Jenni arrived, she lifted me up off the ground. We almost fell over. We hugged. I said, ‘Forget about the penalty, you’ve been fantastic, we wouldn’t have won the World Cup without you,'” Rubiales explained. “She said: ‘You’re great.’ I said, ‘A kiss?’ and she said: ‘Yes.'”
For her part, Hermoso, who is openly gay, says she in no way agreed to a kiss on the field and accused Rubiales of sexual assault.
The whole case went to a Spanish court, with prosecutors hoping to hand him more than two years in jail for sexual assault.
For his part, Rubiales continues to insist that he did nothing wrong, though he did finally resign as the head of the Spanish soccer organization.
Now, he continues to defend himself and claims that the only reason he has been attacked is because of “false feminism,” according to the Daily mail.
“I have a clear conscience. Things have become crazy. A small thing has gone on to devour a person,” he said. “I wanted to be calm and get out of the spotlight. False feminism? What I said is said.”
DECISIÓN FIFA:
— Luis Rubiales (@LuisRubiales17) October 30, 2023
Llegaré hasta la última instancia para que se haga justicia y resplandezca la verdad💪
Por muchos esfuerzos de algunos políticos, medios e instituciones, cada vez está más clara la desproporción e injusticia cometida✅
LA GENTE, MUY MAYORITARIAMENTE, LO TIENE CLARO pic.twitter.com/3z7hKMDw2R
He continued, saying, “I defend egalitarianism. Feminism advocates supporting women to achieve equality.”
“For me there is no crime. It’s my opinion. I asked her the question [if she wanted a kiss] and she said: ‘Okay.'”
He added, “You can’t question Hermoso. I can. Is it because I’m a man? They want to curtail freedom of thought.”
He also insisted that “I cannot understand that anyone could think this was a sexual assault.”
On top of all this, Rubiales is also being accused of corruption and financial misdeeds as police have alleged that he diverted at least more than four million dollars from the Spanish FA to a construction co. that paid him kickbacks through a company controlled by a close friend.
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