Luis Rubiales’ gross behavior at Spain’s Women’s World Cup finale keeps getting worse

On Sunday, Spain gained the Ladies’s World Cup. Nonetheless, the times since their triumph haven’t targeted on their excellence on the pitch, however fairly on disgusting habits off it. Issues reached a boiling level on Friday when Luis Rubiales, the embattled President of the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF), stepped to a microphone at an RFEF meeting the place it was anticipated {that a} string of horrific and grotesque actions would result in him asserting his resignation.

As an alternative, in a scene ripped from The Wolf of Wall Avenue, Rubiales declared that he was not going anyplace.

Let’s take a step again and stroll via every little thing.

The habits in query started within the minutes after Spain clinched their first-ever Ladies’s World Cup. Rubiales’ habits — and his ham-fisted makes an attempt to scrub up after his mess — led to the hypothesis about his impending resignation.

It started moments after the ultimate whistle when Rubiales was seen celebrating within the stands by grabbing his crotch:

This was achieved with 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofía and Queen Letizia of Spain standing close by.

Then Rubiales got here down on the sphere to have fun with the gamers, however in these moments he compelled a kiss on the lips of Spanish participant Jenni Hermoso:

The unsolicited kiss of Hermoso has drawn essentially the most consideration, however Rubiales was additionally noticed “hugging different Spain gamers and kissing them on the cheek,” in accordance with this report from ESPN.

The backlash to his habits was swift, and whereas Rubiales tried to brush off the criticism as coming from “idiots,” outrage grew. Spain’s Equalities Minister Irene Montero posted a thread on social media ending with the blunt level: “Solely sure is sure.”

Rubiales then issued what one may describe as an apology on video, the place he appears to apologize to those that “felt harm by this:”

“There’s additionally an occasion which I’ve to remorse … What occurred occurred, I believe in a really spontaneous approach. I repeat: with no dangerous religion from both of the 2 events,” he stated as quoted in The Athletic. “In fact, if there are individuals who felt harm by this, I must apologize — there’s no various.”

The criticism solely grew, reaching the best ranges of the Spanish authorities. Appearing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez referred to as the apology “inadequate and insufficient.” The appearing second deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, referred to as for Rubiales to “resign” from his submit after his actions.

Montero once more took to social media concerning the apology, and described it as a “type of sexual violence.”

Simply if you thought it couldn’t worsen for Rubiales, it did. Current reporting indicated that Rubiales — and group coach Jorge Vilda — tried to get Hermoso to look within the video with him, a request that the participant and her household declined.

As an alternative, the RFEF launched an announcement the place Hermoso appeared to downplay the incident and said that she and Rubiales had an “glorious relationship.” Nonetheless, it has since come to mild that Hermoso by no means offered such an announcement. In a launch from FUTPRO, her union, Hermoso declared merely that “[m]y FUTPRO union, in coordination with my TMJ company, are taking cost of defending my pursuits and being the interlocutors on this matter.”

The assertion additional indicated that FUTPRO expresses their “ … agency and resounding condemnation of behaviors that violate the dignity of girls.”

Along with the politicians calling for Rubiales’ ouster, some golf equipment in Spanish soccer adopted go well with. Probably the most notable? Atlético de Madrid, who grew to become the fourth membership to name for his dismissal:

It appeared that Rubiales’ place was untenable, and hypothesis grew that he would announce his resignation on the RFEF meeting on Friday. As an alternative, Rubiales was defiant, declaring that the incident with Hermoso was “consensual,” and that he wouldn’t resign over a “peck:”

Relating to the purpose that it was consensual, it is very important level out that within the locker room following the Ladies’s World Cup Closing, Hermoso was on digicam addressing the incident with Rubiales, and said she “didn’t prefer it,” earlier than asking somebody off digicam what she may do about it.

Returning to Friday, Rubiales additionally attacked what he termed “false feminism:”

Watching, and applauding, had been the managers of each the ladies’s and the boys’s groups:

Within the hours resulting in Rubiales’ remarks, it was anticipated that Vilda could be following him out the door. As an alternative, Rubiales vowed that he could be retaining Vilda because the supervisor of the ladies’s group, with a fairly hefty increase:

It’s actually price mentioning that issues had been rocky for the RFEF heading into the Ladies’s World Cup. In September of final 12 months a number of members of the group complained a couple of lack of professionalism from the RFEF, with criticism levied at Vilda. Even when the group was introduced forward of the Ladies’s World Cup, roughly half of the members stood silent when Vilda was launched because the supervisor, refusing to applaud.

It was thought that the state of affairs had improved, and RFEF was amenable to bettering issues for the ladies’s group. That, coupled with their run to a title, appeared to point that higher issues had been on the horizon.

That view was shattered inside minutes, and the times since have been spent discussing Rubiales, and never the group’s achievements.

So, what occurs now?

FIFA’s disciplinary committee knowledgeable Rubiales on Thursday that his actions could have violated the group’s code of conduct, and that they had been initiating disciplinary proceedings.

On a governmental stage Montero took to social media to ask that Spain’s public prosecutor, together with the nation’s Sports activities Council, take steps to intervene. In keeping with at least one report, the prosecutor’s workplace has opened an investigation into Rubiales for sexual assault.

Round Spanish soccer, gamers have additionally made requires Rubiales to step apart.

Borja Iglesias, who performs for Actual Betis, indicated that he wouldn’t play for the nationwide group until one thing was achieved. His teammate at Actual Betis, Hector Bellerin, blasted Rubiales on social media, calling him a “narcissist,” and calling all the incident “shameful.” Alexia Putellas, Hermoso’s teammate on the ladies’s group, referred to as Rubiales’ habits “unacceptable” and declared “it’s over.”

Even gamers from different nations have spoken out. Caroline Hansen, who performs membership soccer for FC Barcelona however is a member of the Norwegian nationwide group, took to social media to help Hermoso:

On the membership stage, it’s unclear if different groups will be part of the 4 Spanish golf equipment who’ve already referred to as for Rubiales’ ouster.

Nonetheless, for a minimum of the second, Rubiales stays in cost.