UPDATE: Luis Rubiales’ Mother Admitted To Hospital After Three Days On Hunger Strike

UPDATE: Wednesday, August 30 at 6:58 pm

THE 76-year-old mother of Luis Rubiales was admitted to a hospital this Thursday, August 30, after spending three days on an indefinite hunger strike inside a church in the Granada town of Motril.

Ángeles Béjar reportedly suffered a ‘health crisis’, believed to have been an anxiety attack, news which was confirmed to okdiario.com by the local parish priest. No further information was made available at this point in time.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, August 29 at 1:40 am

Víctor Francos, the president of Spain’s National Sports Council admitted his concern on Monday 28 about the image being presented by Spanish football with the ongoing scandal surrounding Luis Rabiales.

Appearing at a press conference in Tarragona, he was asked if it could affect Spain’s candidacy for the 2030 World Cup.

He responded: ‘I am worried. Two weeks ago we were in a better position for the 2030 World Cup than today, but we are a stubborn government and we are in a position to explain to FIFA, UEFA and all the international federations that Spanish sport is not what we have seen these days and neither does Spanish football’, reported 20minutos.es.

The RFEF demanded that Rubiales resign

An extraordinary Assembly of the RFEF was held on Monday, as the result of which, after more than six hours, the presidents of the Territorial Federations demanded that Luis Rubiales present his resignation due to his ‘unacceptable behaviour’.

In an official statement, the RFEF said: ‘Once the meeting of the Commission of Presidents of Regional and Territorial Federations of the RFEF has finished, the following agreements are unanimously made known to the world of football and society’.

‘After the latest events and the unacceptable behaviours that have seriously damaged the image of Spanish football, the presidents request that Mr Luis Rubiales immediately present his resignation as president of the RFEF’.

‘We warmly congratulate the women’s soccer team for their victory in the World Cup. We value the meaning and legacy of success for Spanish sport. We express our admiration and gratitude to an unrepeatable group of players and we extend our congratulations to all those who have built, over the years with determination, the growth of women’s football’.

‘We will urge the corresponding bodies to carry out a deep and imminent organic restructuring in strategic positions of the Federation to give way to a new stage of management in Spanish football’.

‘Once FIFA has suspended Mr. Luis Rubiales, the Federation’s internal protocols have been activated as a result of the suspension’.

‘In addition, we have urged President Pedro Rocha to immediately withdraw the last communication on behalf of the Federation with FIFA and UEFA that we have known today’.

‘The RFEF maintains its commitment to continue implementing its investment, as well as equality policies for the development of women’s football’.

‘Lastly, the Presidents’ Commission has given its unanimous support to Mr Pedro Rocha so that he may lead a new stage where dialogue and reconciliation with all football institutions is the line to follow. We make ourselves available to the CSD and all the institutions involved to continue building together the candidacy for the 2030 World Cup’.

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UPDATE: Monday, August 28 at 10:21 pm

Ángeles Béjar, the mother of Luis Rubiales, the temporarily suspended president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, locked herself inside a church this morning, Monday, August 28.

She is protesting over the treatment that her son has received in recent days, something which she described as an: ‘Inhumane and blood hunt’, while adding: ‘They are doing something with my son to my son that he does not deserve’.

Rubiales’ mother has also threatened to go on a hunger strike in Motril’s Divina Pastora church, located in the Capuchinos region of Granada province. According to the news outlet, she stayed inside the church with her sister when the parish priest left.

The mother informed EFE that she intends to continue her action: ‘indefinitely, day and night’, until a solution was found to her son’s predicament.

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UPDATE: Saturday, August 26 at 5:58 pm

Following the scandal that has erupted in Spain in connection with the actions of Luis Rubiales, members of the Women’s football coaching team have tendered their resignation this evening, Saturday, August 26.

The entire team resigned expect for coach Jorge Vilda. In a statement released by the National Team’s coaching staff, they announced their announcing their irrevocable resignation.

It read: ‘The signatories express their firmest and most emphatic condemnation of the conduct shown by Luis Rubiales with Jennifer Hermoso. This part of the Technical Team supports Jennifer Hermoso, endorsing the version offered by her’.

‘Several female members of the staff were forced to stand in the front row, exposing their image and trying to make society and players understand that they shared the theses of the RFEF president’, it emphasised, referring to Friday’s Extraordinary General Assembly of the Federation.

The statement was signed by Montse Tomé, Javier Lerga, Eugenio Gonzalo, Blanca Romero, Carlos Sánchez, Rubén Jiménez, Sonia Bermudez, Javier Velázquez, Javier Egido, Ander Ruiz and Elena Fernández.

🚨 COMUNICADO de una parte del cuerpo técnico de la Selección anunciando su dimisión irrevocable:

🗣️ "Los firmantes manifiestan su más firme y rotunda condena ante la conducta mostrada por Luis Rubiales con Jennifer Hermoso"

🗣️"Esta parte del Equipo Técnico apoya a Jennifer… pic.twitter.com/OFHcvB1q4N

— Era Fútbol Femenino (@Erafutbolfem) August 26, 2023

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Saturday, August 26 at 5:58 pm

THE Disciplinary Commission of FIFA has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). 

As a result, he is relieved of: ‘All football-related activities at a national and international level’, as of today, Saturday, August 25.

Colombia’s Jorge Ivan Palacio, the Commission’s chairman said: ‘This suspension, which will be effective from today, extends for an initial period of ninety days’. Its outcome is pending the disciplinary proceedings opened against Luis Rubiales on Thursday, August 24.

In an official statement published today on the FIFA website, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee also issued two additional directives ordering Rubiales to refrain from contacting the Spanish Women’s footballer, Jennifer Hermoso. This order also applies to any third parties who might attempt to contact the player on his behalf it added.

The decision adopted by the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, using the powers granted by Article 51 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (CDF), was communicated to Luis Rubiales, the RFEF, and UEFA for due compliance.

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Friday, August 25 at 10:21 pm

A statement that was issued this Friday evening, August 25, by the Futpro union, announced that the members of Spain’s World Cup winning squad were resigning from the national football team.

The published letter from the Spanish Association of Professional Football Players included the names of 56 players and former professional players who all called for the resignation of Luis Rubiales as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

🚨 The players of the Spanish National team, recent World Champions, other players, in support of Jennifer Hermoso, wish to express their strong and firm condemnation of behaviours that have undermined the dignity of women.#seacabo pic.twitter.com/s8Nt6VbOlW

— FUTPRO (@futpro_es) August 25, 2023

Controversy flared up after the actions of Rubiales following his country’s victory in the Women’s World Cup last Sunday 20, and has continued to be a hot topic all week.

Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso during the celebrations

In front of a global television audience, during the squad’s on-field celebrations, Rubiales kissed Spain’s all-time top goalscorer Jenni Hermoso on the mouth.

The fallout has been so great that he was expected to announce his resignation today after an urgent Extraordinary General Assembly of the RFEF was called but he stunned his audience by making a shock U-turn.

Amidst loud applause from the assembly, in a dramatic moment, Rubiales dramatically exclaimed, ‘I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign!’. The football president believes that he has been unfairly targeted in a ‘witch hunt’.

The players insisted they will not play for Spain if Rubiales stays

‘As a result of the events that occurred this morning, and given the perplexity of the speech delivered by the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Mr Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar, the players of the senior team, recent world champions, in I support Jennifer Hermoso, they want to express their firm and resounding condemnation of behaviours that have violated the dignity of women’, read the Futpro statement.

It continued: ‘After everything that happened during the Women’s World Cup, we want to state that all the players who sign this letter will not return to a call for the National Team if the current leaders continue’. The names of every player agreeing with the action were listed.

‘From our union, we want to emphasise that no woman should feel the need to respond to the forceful images that the whole world has seen, and of course, they should not be involved in non-consensual attitudes’, the players indicated in the Futpro statement.

They all affirmed that they expected: ‘Forceful answers from the public powers so that actions such as those committed do not go unpunished’. The players insisted they were: ‘asking for real changes, both sports and structural, that help the National Team to continue growing, and to be able to transfer this great success to later generations’.

It concluded: It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event is managing to tarnish the greatest sporting success of Spanish women’s football’.

Jenni Hermoso insisted she never consented to the kiss

Jenni Hermoso made her opinion on what happened in Australia very clear: ‘I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss that Rubiales gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to raise the president. I do not tolerate my word being questioned, much less that words are invented that I have not said’.

The women’s players were backed by some male players also, with Borja Iglesias and Héctor Bellerín both speaking out in support of their action. Iglesias went so far as to renounce his selectable status for the men’s national team.

‘Wearing the Spanish National Team shirt is one of the greatest things that has happened to me in my career. I don’t know if at some point I will be an option again, but I have made the decision not to return to the National Team until things change and this type of act does not go unpunished’, the Real Betis star tweeted.

Vestir la camiseta de la Selección Española es de lo más grande que me ha pasado en mi carrera. No sé si en algún momento volveré a ser una opción, pero he tomado la decisión de no volver a la Selección hasta que las cosas cambien y este tipo de actos no queden impunes.

— Borja Iglesias (@BorjaIglesias9) August 25, 2023

Spain’s goalscoring heroine Olga Carmona wrote: ‘We are with you @Jennihermoso’.

Estamos contigo @Jennihermoso 🫂❤️ pic.twitter.com/JvSlSUlWRV

— Olga Carmona (@7olgacarmona) August 25, 2023

Alexia Putellas, arguably Spain’s greatest-ever female footballer simply wrote: ‘This is unacceptable. It’s over. With you partner @Jennihermoso’.

‘What a pity it gives me that 23 soccer players are not the protagonists… it’s over! With you to death @Jennihermoso’, tweeted the Spanish goalkeeper Cata Coll.

Que pena me da que 23 futbolistas no seamos las protagonistas… se acabo!
Contigo a muerte @Jennihermoso

— cata coll (@catacoll2001) August 25, 2023