Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has continued to maintain a neutral posture towards suspended RFEF President Luis Rubiales, following his non-consensual kiss of Jenni Hermoso.
Carvajal was one of the four captains that appeared in order to read out a statement declaring Rubiales’ actions inappropriate, but the statement was criticised for not mentioning Hermoso or asking for further action.
During an interview on Tuesday night, Carvajal had said that he would wait for the legal process to decide whether Hermoso was the victim of sexual assault as she said during her statement on the matter.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Carvajal said he was merely referring to the right to a fair trial – the matter has not yet been taken to court.
“It is quite clear what I think from the interview yesterday. I only defend the presumption of innocence, which is a constitutional right for everyone in this country – I’ll stick to that. You cannot blame or victimise anyone without a firm sentence. The statement was complicated to get 24 people to agree on it. We did it with good intentions for them, for us, and for any fan. It was a statement that was in agreement with what we represent. [We’re] Very proud of the success they achieved.”
Dani Carvajal matiza sus palabras sobre lo que dijo en Onda Cero.
💬 “Lo que únicamente defiendo es la presunción de inocencia de este país que es un derecho constitucional y me rijo a eso”. pic.twitter.com/MCL0nUlNdA
— Relevo (@relevo) September 6, 2023
Carvajal has been at pains to say that he is sitting on the fence, neither siding with Rubiales nor Hermoso, bearing in mind the former has accused the Spain forward of lying. Carvajal did empathise with Rubiales though, which will raise eyebrows.
“For good and for bad, the repercussions are very large. I’m not going to give my opinion on a personal level. Everyone can do what they want. I am nobody to judge anyone. At no point have I said that Jenni is not the victim, I have said that the presumption of innocence must be preserved. I understand if she is having a bad time, you have to show solidarity with her, and I also understand the president is not having a good time, but I’m not here to judge anyone.”
He also went on to say that any of his dealings with Rubiales have been highly positive.
“The opinion I have of Rubiales is that he has always had excellent professional relationship with me. Everything he has been able to help us with, regarding families or trips, has been exceptional. I am not the one to clean out, do or undo in the RFEF, I speak as a player and I cannot have a go at him.”
Carvajal, sobre Jenni Hermoso y Luis Rubiales.
💬 “No he dicho que no sea la víctima. He dicho que hay que preservar la presunción de inocencia de todas las personas”.
💬 “Tampoco creo que el presidente esté viviendo momentos agradables”. pic.twitter.com/jOdu5xqlOZ
— Relevo (@relevo) September 6, 2023
While Carvajal tries to sit on the fence, for many that will not be enough. The 79 Spain players who have demanded change clearly saw enough evidence to stand behind Hermoso, and while Carvajal does say that Rubiales’ kiss was inappropriate, he seems to back away from anything categorising it as anything more than that. It is understandable that he does not want to get drawn into the matter, but by deliberately being so elusive with his opinion, many will draw their own conclusions. The RFEF, members of the Spanish Government and many more besides have demanded his resignation.
Apoyo a Dani Carvajal al 100%.