After kiss scandal: mother of suspended Luis Rubiales on hunger strike

According to media reports, the mother of the 46-year-old went on a hunger strike in the kiss scandal surrounding the now suspended Spanish football association president Luis Rubiales. The woman locked herself in a church in the Andalusian city of Motril in the south of the country in protest against what she believed to be the “inhuman and bloody hunt” for her son, state television broadcaster RTVE and other local media reported. Accordingly, she wanted to continue the strike “day and night” until “justice was done”. The mother says her son is a good person who has never harassed anyone, Spanish media reported.

“He was prejudiced”

The world association Fifa has suspended Rubiales for 90 days and initiated disciplinary proceedings. The head of the Spanish national association RFEF kissed the player Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth at the award ceremony after winning the World Cup final in Sydney on August 20 – and thus triggered criticism and outrage at home and abroad.

RTVE cameras showed numerous journalists, photographers, cameramen and onlookers gathering in front of the Church of Divina Pastora on Monday afternoon. According to the priest, Rubiales’ mother is accompanied by her sister. She is very nervous and crying. A cousin of Rubiales told journalists outside the church: “We are all suffering greatly. He was prejudiced”. Relatives and friends of the 46-year-old are firmly convinced that the kiss was mutually agreed. Hermoso had vehemently denied this version. Another RFEF crisis meeting was scheduled for Monday.

Rubiales scandal: Uefa in contact with Fifa

The European football union Uefa is leaving jurisdiction in the scandal to the world association Fifa for the time being. According to dpa information, both umbrella organizations have been discussing how to proceed in the past few days – the case should remain in the hands of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee. Rubiales has been Vice President of the Uefa Executive Committee since 2019. So far, no senior Uefa official has commented on the scandal. According to reports, Uefa claims that the World Cup is a Fifa event and the disciplinary proceedings are also pending at the world association, and Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin is also said to be directly involved in the exchange.

Watch the video: Spanish internationals threaten to go on strike as long as Rubiales is head of the association.

In the meantime, the Spanish public prosecutor’s office has also become active. According to media reports, the public prosecutor’s office at the national state court in Madrid said on Monday that the authority would ask Jennifer Hermoso, who was kissed by Rubiales after the World Cup triumph in Australia. A judicial spokesman confirmed this on request. The public prosecutor’s office assumes “due to the clear public statements” that the 33-year-old Hermoso could have been the victim of an alleged sexual assault, since there was apparently “no type of consent”, it said. However, the authority cannot act ex officio and, under Spanish law, requires a report from the player or a legal representative. As reported by radio station Cadena Ser, Hermoso has 15 days after the request to file a complaint.

International criticism of Rubiales

In the past few days there had been clear criticism of Rubiales far beyond the sport. In Germany, German national players and Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, among others, spoke out. According to media reports, the fact that the Spanish government also sharply criticized the head of the association and demanded his replacement led to the Spanish association filing a complaint with Uefa about improper government intervention in association matters.