RFEF President Luis Rubiales looks as if he will face some form of consequences for his kiss of Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup, after Victor Francos confirmed the High Committee for Sport (CSD) were willing to get involved in the matter.
Rubiales has faced widespread backlash following his decision to kiss Hermoso on the lips without her consent, with many asking for his resignation. However matters only got worse for Rubiales as details emerged of his attempts to smooth over the situation.
After initially calling criticism idiocy, Rubiales went on to then release an apology video, although he apologised if some people were hurt, still not understanding why it was wrong. However Hermoso’s supposed statement said that it was a ‘mutual gesture of affection’, and defended her relations with Rubiales.
Yet those words were not Hermoso’s, she had neither written nor said them. On Tuesday, the RFEF called an extraordinary General Assembly to deal with the matter.
President of the CSD, which are a decision-making body responsible for sporting matters, Francos told Cadena Cope that they were willing to get involved, after receiving three formal complaints about Rubiales.
“We have been very clear with the RFEF on the need to open the procedures established by the Sports Law. We could not pass by not opening those internal disciplinary proceedings. From there, we are going to wait for the case to be resolved urgently, which is very limited, with two people involved and there is not much to investigate.”
The RFEF are looking at whether they themselves will take action, with the regional governing bodies for football responsible for taking Rubiales to task. They are likely to launch an investigation, and if they do not show confidence in Rubiales, it could result in his resignation.
“I have made it known to the Federation that the report must be transparent and urgent because otherwise we will take action. We established that all the Federations have protocols for these cases and we have to respect that; and those protocols have a procedure that must be respected and that must be diligent.”
All of this said, Rubiales reportedly has no intention to resign. However following the official complaints, the Sports Law mentioned by Francos states in the event of a ‘forced kiss’, it will bring ‘immediate consequences’.
If Rubiales maintains his stance, then it will ultimately come down to what legally the Federation and the CSD can do to remove Rubiales. This would depend in part on the statements of Hermoso and Rubiales, Francos also noted the CSD would be willing to take the matter to the Sports Court in order to resolve it, where they could secure an order to suspend Rubiales from his work temporarily. The next flashpoint is Friday, when the RFEF General Assembly take splace.
