After being suspended for a kissing scandal that tainted Spain‘s triumph at the Women’s Football World Cup, Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish football federation, resigned from his position.
On Sunday, he posted a message on X in which he announced his resignation.
In a statement, he said, “After my swift suspension by FIFA and the rest of the cases building against me, it is clear that I cannot return to the post.”
“The Royal Spanish Football Federation confirms that Luis M. Rubiales Béjar has presented his resignation tonight, the RFEF said in a statement. “This has been made known to the federative entity through a letter to Pedro Rocha Junco. In addition, he also resigned from his position as vice president of UEFA.”
The federation’s board of directors will now call an election to find a successor.
The suspended president vowed to clear his name against what he called an excessive persecution.
On August 20 in Sydney, Australia, after Spain defeated England to win the championship, Rubiales gave star player Jenni Hermoso an uninvited kiss on the lips at the awards presentation.
The 46-year-old previously apologized and described the kiss as mutual, a claim Hermoso later denied, saying she did not consent and was not respected.
Hermoso and around 50 other professional female soccer players, including all 23 members of Spain’s World Cup-winning team, declared they would not compete for their country again unless Rubiales was fired. The next game for the national team is on September 22.
As the dispute continued, some male and female football teams showed their support for Hermoso at their games by holding shirts, donning wristbands and raising banners.
Two days after Hermoso formally accused Rubiales of sexual assault, state prosecutors in Spain charged him with sexual assault and harassment following the unwelcome kiss.
FIFA had previously placed him on administrative leave for his actions during the final. The vice president of UEFA also quit, according to Rubiales.
When Rubiales was suspended on August 26, Pedro Rocha took over as the interim president of the Spanish federation, and Rubiales claimed that Rocha was informed of his resignation late Sunday night.
The head of Spain’s biggest players union and a former player is 46 years old. Since 2018, he has been the federation’s leader.
Also Sunday, Rubiales said “I am going to (resign), I cannot continue my work,” on Britain’s Talk TV.
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