Spain women’s national team coaches resign over Rubiales kiss
Nearly all the coaching staff for Spain’s women’s team have resigned, citing the “unacceptable attitude” of Luis Rubiales, who vowed to prove his innocence after his provisional suspension as president of the Spanish FA.
On Saturday, 11 coaches and technical staff released a joint statement in which they condemned Rubiales’s conduct towards forward Jenni Hermoso, sixdays after he grabbed her by the head and kissed her on the lips at the end of the Women’s World Cup final.
“The undersigned, in light of the unacceptable attitude and statements made by the head of the federation, have taken the decision to resign from their positions,” the statement said.
The staff also claimed that they had been ordered to attend Rubiales’s speech on Friday. “This was particularly hurtful,” it added, “as many of the female members of the coaching staff were obliged to sit in the front row,” so as to suggest that they agreed with the remarks made by Rubiales, the statement claimed.
Their statement came hours after Fifa said Rubiales would immediately be suspended “from all football-related activities at national and international level” for an “initial period of 90 days, pending the disciplinary proceedings” that were opened against him earlier this week.
The Fifa disciplinary judge, Jorge Palacio, said “in order to preserve, among other factors, the fundamental rights” of Hermoso, Rubiales was also ordered “to refrain, through himself or third parties, from contacting or attempting to contact” her and those close to her.
The statement also said the Spanish football federation, which earlier threatened to take legal against Hermoso, had been ordered to refrain from contacting her and those close to her.
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