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Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish football federation who resigned after kissing a player without her consent during the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, was pelted with eggs while on stage promoting his book.
The culprit, who was later arrested by the police, was revealed to be Rubiales’ uncle.
Jorge Vilda, head coach of Spain (L), with Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation, during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
The incident was caught on camera and shows Rubiales sitting on stage while promoting his 500-page memoir. A man can be seen throwing several eggs towards Rubiales, with one of them hitting him directly in the back.
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Rubiales charged the man, but several others intervened to restrain him.
Spanish police told The Associated Press that the man, identified as Luis Rubén Rubiales, had been arrested. No motive was immediately revealed. The suspect was Rubiales’ uncle and a local actor.
“A man who came in and who I saw later was my uncle, who is a troubled man and always has been,” Rubiales told reporters via the AP. “He had eggs and threw some at me, but I didn’t know what he had in his hands, and when I first saw him I thought maybe he was carrying a weapon.”
Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales sits in a courtroom in a Madrid suburb, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, where he is on trial for his unsolicited kiss on striker Jenni Hermoso. (Chema Moya, pool photo via AP, file)
EX-PRESIDENT OF SPANISH FOOTBALL RECEIVES FINE FOR UNWANTED KISS OF PLAYER
In February, Rubiales was found guilty of sexually assaulting Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso after kissing her without her consent after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. The controversy overshadowed the Spanish title and led to Rubiales’ resignation weeks later.
Although prosecutors sought prison time, Rubiales was ordered to pay a fine and was prohibited from being near or communicating with Hermoso for a year.
A smiling Jennifer Hermoso of Spain with the FIFA Women’s World Cup winners’ trophy after the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023 final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
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The 48-year-old former football boss denied kissing Hermoso without her consent. According to his publisher, Rubiales says he is the victim of a “conspiracy of different powers in Spanish public life”, including the government and “the lucrative world of feminism”.
