MADRID, 5 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has requested its “sincere apologies” to world football as a whole and to society for the “unacceptable behavior” of its former president, Luis Rubiales, during the final ceremony of the Women’s World Cup, which has ” marred” the team’s success with their winning the title.
“The RFEF, through its president, Pedro Rocha, considers it essential to request the most sincere apologies to world football as a whole, football institutions, footballers, especially the players of the Spanish football team and the English football team, the other agents involved in football and the fans around the world, for the totally unacceptable behavior of its highest institutional representative during the final and in the aftermath, which does not respond at all to the values of the group of Spanish society, its institutions, its representatives, its athletes and the leaders of Spanish sports,” he said in a statement.
During the delivery of medals to the players of the Spanish team, Rubiales kissed the international Jenni Hermoso on the lips while holding her head; Subsequently, the player herself affirmed that her kiss had not been consented to. Days later, FIFA provisionally suspended Rubiales “from all football-related activities at the national and international level.”
The RFEF stressed that Spanish society “is an example of tolerance and civility in all social and political spheres.” “He has been an example of sporting behavior and decorum, as he has shown for decades in all the sporting events in which he has participated; and that nobility and international prestige of our society and of our sport have been tarnished in recent days by the performance of Luis Rubiales. The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and to the set of values of football and sport has been enormous”, he stated.
“The RFEF wants to convey to society as a whole and to world football as a whole its deep regret for what happened that has tarnished our team, our football and our society. We feel deeply sorry for the damage caused and for this reason, from this RFEF must ask for the most sincere apologies and acquire a firm and absolute commitment that events like these can never happen again,” he continued.
In addition, he recalled that all the governing bodies of the world of soccer have adopted “immediately” disciplinary measures against Rubiales. “The RFEF is providing all the documentary and administrative support that is required from both disciplinary bodies in order to have a definitive resolution as soon as possible that allows compensation for the damage caused,” he said.
Thus, he pointed out that “winning the World Cup was one of the proudest moments in the history of the RFEF and one of the most important moments in Spanish sport” and that Rubiales’ performances “are not acceptable under any circumstances”. “For this reason, the RFEF immediately removed from its website all those inappropriate and meaningless communications that did not value what the team had achieved and did not take into account the player’s statements about these facts,” he explained.
“The actions of Mr. Rubiales do not represent the values defended by the RFEF, nor the values of Spanish society as a whole, and his actions must be attributed solely and exclusively to him, since he is solely responsible for his actions before society, before the sports bodies and, if necessary, before the courts,” he said. “To be clear, this position was that of Mr. Rubiales, not that of the RFEF. We feel especially sorry and ashamed for the additional pain and anguish this has caused. We regret that this incident has negatively impacted what should have been an ongoing celebration of football,” he continued.
In another order of things, he insisted that the presidents of the Autonomous Federations have already demanded the resignation of Rubiales and have promised to carry out “a thorough review of all the policies and procedures of the organization.” “The commitment of all of them is unanimous and firm to have in the next few days a whole set of actions that improve the governance of the Spanish football federation and make it possible to repair, as far as possible, the damage caused. The RFEF must act in coordination with the Higher Sports Council to serve the general interests of Spanish sport,” he said.
Lastly, Rocha congratulated the team on their “historic victory”, highlighting “the impact and legacy that their victory will have on the future of Spanish football”. “We are convinced that their spirit has inspired millions of people of all ages, and we could not be more proud of the way they have conducted themselves, both on and off the pitch. In due course, I intend to to give them back the leading role and celebrate their achievements as they deserve”, he concluded.