Current:Home > reviewsNovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:With Rubiales finally out, Spanish soccer ready to leave embarrassing chapter behind -FinTechWorld
NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:With Rubiales finally out, Spanish soccer ready to leave embarrassing chapter behind
Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-11 05:53:44
Spanish soccer is NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Centerready to move forward, three weeks after its women’s team won the Women’s World Cup but had its celebrations marred by a kiss that ignited a crisis.
Luis Rubiales, the Spanish soccer federation president who kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the trophy ceremony in Australia last month, resigned late Sunday following weeks of relentless pressure from inside the sport and Spanish society in general.
The decision, which many in the country had been hoping to see much earlier, was expected to help Spanish soccer start overcoming one of its most embarrassing chapters. It should also clear the way for Spain to get back on track with its bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2030 along with Portugal, Morocco and possibly Ukraine.
“It’s over,” Irene Montero, the acting minister of equality in Spain, wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Rubiales had been widely criticized after he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony following Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the Women’s World Cup final on Aug. 20 in Sydney. Hermoso said the kiss was without her consent.
Rubiales had been expected to resign at an emergency general meeting of the federation shortly after the World Cup final, but instead said he was victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
His defiant stand did not make the problem go away.
“The feminist country is advancing faster and faster,” Yolanda Díaz, Spain’s acting Deputy Prime Minister, wrote on X after Rubiales made his resignation public. “The transformation and improvement of our lives is inevitable. We are with you, Jenni, and with all women.”
Rubiales had been without public supporters other than his mother, who held a short-lived hunger strike in a church in southern Spain. His own federation also publicly asked him to step down and one of his biggest supporters, women’s team coach Jorge Vilda, was fired last week.
Pedro Rocha has been in charge of the federation since Rubiales was provisionally suspended by FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. The Spanish federation said in a statement early Monday that it would start proceedings to call for a new presidential election.
Rubiales also said he has resigned as a vice president of European soccer body UEFA because of the reputational danger the scandal could inflict on Spain’s joint bid to host the men’s World Cup.
“I don’t want Spanish soccer to be hurt by this exaggerated campaign against me, and above all, I take this decision after being assured that my exit would help contribute to the stability that will allow both Europe and Africa to stay united for their dream of 2030, which will permit the greatest sporting event in the world to go to our country,” Rubiales said.
“Insisting in waiting and hanging on would not contribute anything positive (for) either the federation or Spanish soccer, among other reasons, because the powers that be would stop me from returning (to my job).”
The next men’s World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
The statement from Rubiales late Sunday came at about the same time as the release of clips of an interview he did with TV host Piers Morgan on Britain’s TalkTV.
Spanish state prosecutors last week opened the door for Rubiales to face criminal charges, which he still will have to deal with despite resigning from the soccer federation.
“What I hope is that he goes away through a conviction, a sentencing, not because of his voluntary decision,” Victoria Rosell, a government official dealing with gender violence, was quoted as saying by Spain’s EFE news agency.
Spain, which has moved up to No. 2 in the FIFA rankings, is scheduled to start the Women’s Nations League on Sept. 22 with a visit to top-ranked Sweden. Spain beat Sweden in the Women’s World Cup semifinals.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
veryGood! (936)
Related
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- As the world gets more expensive, will employees ever see their paychecks catch up?
- Montana man gets 18 months in prison for racist phone calls to Black woman employed at church
- Broncos safety Kareem Jackson suspended four games for unnecessary roughness violations
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Club Q to change location, name after tragic mass shooting
- Mary Lou Retton is home, recovering after hospitalization, daughter says
- Tom Bergeron Reflects on “Betrayal” That Led to His Exit From Dancing with the Stars
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- How Winter House Will Address Tom Sandoval's Season 3 Absence
Ranking
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Man who cyberstalked parent of Parkland shooting victim sentenced to year in prison
- Two ships have collided off the coast of Germany and several people are missing
- Next ‘Mission: Impossible’ delayed a year as actors strike drags on
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Off-duty St. Louis officer accused of shooting at trick-or-treating event no longer employed
- A$AP Rocky named creative director of Puma, F1 fashion collection: What to know
- Liberian president Weah to face opponent Boakai for 2nd time in runoff vote
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Forced labor concerns prompt US lawmakers to demand ban on seafood from two Chinese provinces
Tropical Storm Otis forecast to strengthen to hurricane before landfall near Mexico’s Acapulco
Stop, Drop & Shop: Save up to 78% On Kate Spade Bags, Wallets, Shoes & More
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
'Our idol!': 92 year old's rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike inspires throng of followers worldwide
Protests across Panama against new contract for Canadian copper mining company in biodiverse north
Hungary in the spotlight after Turkey presses on with Sweden’s bid to join NATO