The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales defended that the controversy raised by his kiss to the player Jenni Hermoso It is “a snowball” fueled by “spurious interests” against him, and refused to apologize to the soccer player.
In the exclusive interview which he granted to the British journalist Piers Morgan on the “Talk TV” channel in which he announced his resignation – announced last Sunday – and broadcast this Tuesday in its entirety, Rubiales maintained his version that his “peak” to Hermoso was the result of a moment of euphoria and had no sexual connotations.
like the lottery
“I think it has been a snowball, for various interests, some of them spurious, against me,” he said, without explaining what interests he was referring to.
In the interview, the former president of the RFEF compared his reaction to what people may have when you win the lottery or what the inhabitants of Ukraine when the war ends in your country.
“At that moment, people do not ask for permission,” Rubiales said, defending that his gesture was spontaneous and fruit of euphoriaeven though it was a “mistake.”
Four times, despite the interviewer’s insistence, the former federation president avoided asking Hermoso for forgiveness. “What happened is bad for everyone. And I repeat that I was there, it was a fleeting kiss in a context of joy,” Rubiales responded again and again, calling what happened an “anecdote.”
“Tactile relationship”
“I have my version, If other people change their version, it is not my business,” he emphasized. Rubiales unexpectedly announced his resignation on Sunday night, through a statement on social networks that came out simultaneously with a preview of his interview with Morgan.
Rubiales kissed the player after grabbing his head with both hands in the presentation of medals to the Spanish soccer team after it won the world champion title against England.
He justified his act with the fact that in Latin countries there is a “tactile relationship” between men and women, and that it is “very normal” for these acts to occur. “Just before the kiss, she picked me up and didn’t ask me” to do it, said Rubiales, who highlighted that the player “grabbed” him on the podium.
“Internal shame”
Related news
He also referred to the gesture of grabbing his private parts in the box, next to the queen. Letizia, to celebrate the victory. “This gesture makes me feel more internal shame, but I want to explain that in Spanish we have the expression ‘ole your eggs’ or ‘ole tus ovaries’, which means ‘bravo, very good’. When the game ended, (the coach, Jorge) Vilda looked at me saying ‘this is for you’, and I told her ‘no, no, this is for you,’ she said.
For Rubiales, it was “a affectionate gesture, very crude but affectionate”, for which he has already apologized to the Royal Family.