The coach of the Spanish national men’s team, Luis de la Fuente, has apologised for the “inexcusable error” of applauding Luis Rubiales during the speech in which the football federation president refused to resign over his having forcibly kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the presentation ceremony after the midfielder had helped Spain win the Women’s World Cup.
De la Fuente said his actions were a product of the “psychological stress” of the situation he found himself in and that if he could go back he would behave differently, although he did not explain what he was applauding. Nor did he give an explanation for why it took 24 hours for him to release a statement criticising Rubiales’s behaviour, by which time the president had already been suspended by Fifa, the game’s world governing body. He also admitted that “I probably lacked the bravery” to contact Hermoso.
