The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has apologised for the “enormous damage” caused by the actions of its suspended president, describing Luis Rubiales’ behaviour as “totally unacceptable” in a statement that sought to distance the federation from actions that had “tarnished our national team, our football and our society”.
Rubiales, 46, has been provisionally barred by Fifa from all football activity after he grabbed the midfielder Jenni Hermoso by the head, pulled her towards him and planted a kiss on her lips after last month’s Women’s World Cup final in Sydney.
The letter, published on Tuesday by the RFEF’s interim president, Pedro Rocha, appeared to be a U-turn from the stance on display 10 days earlier when the federation’s members gave Rubiales a standing ovation after he railed against “false feminism” and vowed to stay on.
Rocha said on Tuesday that the actions of Rubiales – who has so far refused to resign – did not represent the values of the federation. “His behaviour must be attributed solely and exclusively to him,” he noted. “The damage caused to Spanish football, sport and society, as well as to the values of football and sport has been enormous.”
In the days after the unsolicited kiss, the federation came under intense pressure to take action as outrage mounted. After initially dismissing critics as “idiots and stupid people”, Rubiales later offered an apology that the country’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, described as insufficient. Days later, amid reports that he was set to resign, Rubiales changed tack, describing the kiss as consensual.
Hours later the federation issued a statement threatening to sue Hermoso, accusing her of lying and defamation. Rocha said in his statement on Tuesday that the federation would immediately remove any “inappropriate” statements that had questioned Hermoso from its website. “We are especially sorry and embarrassed by the additional pain and anguish this has caused,” he added.
His apology comes more than a week after the regional presidents of the federation demanded that Rubiales resign. Late last Friday Rubiales hit back, publishing a statement in Spanish media that lashed out at what he described as an “unprecedented political and media lynching”.
While he said he had “made some obvious mistakes which I sincerely regret”, he vowed to continue to defend himself in order to “prove the truth”.
His actions are under investigation by several sports bodies, including Fifa, football’s world governing body, as well as the Spanish government’s national sports council. Rocha said the federation is cooperating with the investigation in order to be able to reach a definitive resolution as soon as possible and “allow for compensation of the damage that has been caused”.
The aim was to prevent incidents like these from happening again, said Rocha. “We regret that this incident has negatively impacted what should have been a celebration of football, both of our national team and of England’s Lionesses, who were a truly extraordinary opponent in an exciting final.”
Rocha ended his letter with a tribute to Spain’s national team, crediting La Roja’s incredible achievement for inspiring millions of people. “In due time, I intend to return the spotlight to them and celebrate their achievements as they deserve.”
