Luis Rubiales’ mother has locked herself in a church and is going on a hunger strike in order to end the “inhumane witch-hunt” on her son as the Spanish Football Federation (Rfef) held an emergency meeting on Monday.
Rubiales was suspended by Fifa for kissing Women’s World Cup winner, Jenni Hermoso, on the lips in an act the footballer says she did not consent to. Fifa banned Rubiales from all football-related activity for 90 days over his conduct and have launched an investigation into his behaviour, while Spanish police are now investigating the federation president for alleged sexual assault.
Following his refusal to resign, the Spanish women’s national team signed a letter stating their intent not to play for the country until Rubiales is removed from his role and the coaching staff – excepting manager Jorge Vilda – have all walked out. And in bizarre new developments, the Spanish FA requested that Uefa excludes their national and club teams from all European competitions because of Spanish government intervention in the crisis – a request which Uefa has denied. Now the Rfef have finally asked Rubiales to resign, with the matter seemingly coming to a head on Tuesday.
Follow all the latest updates from the Luis Rubiales crisis:
Luis Rubiales: Latest as Rfef president asked to resign
Luis Rubiales asked to resign by Spanish FA (Rfef)
Spanish FA ask Uefa to expel teams from competition – request is denied
Rfef president’s mother continues hunger strike inside church
Luis Rubiales timeline: From election to kiss and Fifa suspension
Uefa rejects Spanish expulsion plea as Luis Rubiales crisis takes bizarre new twist
10:15 , Karl Matchett
Yesterday’s developments in the Luis Rubiales controversy took a dramatic and strange twist as key figures from within the Spanish FA asked for its own teams to be expelled from Uefa competition.
Miguel Delaney has the details:
The request to the European body that is being seen as the most significant, given it sums up how surreal the story has become.
With Rubiales facing a series of official complaints and a government process that could yet see him banned from sport in Spain for two to 15 years – to go with his current 90-day suspension from Fifa – the federation sent a request to Uefa to be expelled for breaking Uefa’s own statutes on state interference. Expulsion would see clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona kicked out of European competitions such as the Champions League.
The move has been interpreted as “bluster” and “brinkmanship” by the federation in order to support Rubiales, but it would still involve all of Spain’s club and national teams being removed from competition, depriving them of income and – in the words of one party – “setting Spanish football back years”.
Full report:
Uefa rejects Spanish expulsion plea as Luis Rubiales crisis takes bizarre new twist
Protesters gather in Madrid calling for Spanish football federation president to resign
10:09 , Karl Matchett
Hundreds of people waving women’s rights placards gathered in the centre of Madrid on Monday 28 August to protest against the Spanish football federation’s president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales was provisionally suspended by Fifa on Saturday 26 August, pending an investigation into his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on 20 August.
The 46-year-old grabbed his crotch in the VIP area of the stadium in celebration of Spain’s win over England, before kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation.
His mother is on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son, according to reports in Spain.
Watch the video of the protest here:
Hundreds of protesters gather in Madrid calling for Spanish football chief to resign
Luis Rubiales – latest updates
10:03 , Karl Matchett
Just a few days after giving Luis Rubiales their full backing, the Spanish football authorities have made an about-turn.
Leading officials within the Spanish Football Federation asked suspended president Luis Rubiales to resign on Monday for kissing a player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final.
The heads of the regional bodies that make up the federation (RFEF) made the request in a collective statement.
“After the latest developments and the unacceptable behavior that has caused great damage to the image of Spanish soccer, the presidents request that Luis Rubiales resign immediately as president of the RFEF,” the statement said.
The heads also urged interim president Pedro Rocha to immediately withdraw the federation’s request to Uefa on Monday to suspend it from international competitions because of government interference over demands to remove Rubiales.
Full details here:
Spanish FA asks president Luis Rubiales to resign after World Cup kiss
Luis Rubiales – latest updates
09:55 , Karl Matchett
Luis Rubiales and the Spanish football federation (Rfef) remain under intense pressure and scrutiny following the president’s kiss on Jenni Hermoso following the Fifa Women’s World Cup final win.
Follow the Independent’s live blog as we bring you the latest updates regarding his refusal to resign, his mother’s hunger strike, police involvement, Uefa and Fifa statements and more.
