Luis Rubiales: The head of the Spanish government’s sports council says he will take action against the president of the Spanish Football Federation if the federation does not

CNN
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The head of the Spanish government’s High Council for Sport (CSD) has said he will take action against the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). Luis Rubiales If the Football Authority fails to do so.

On Tuesday, the RFEF called an Extraordinary General Assembly – scheduled for Friday – to deal with the fallout from Rubiales’ alleged unwanted kiss on the lips of Spanish star Jennifer Hermoso during the medal ceremony after Spain’s victory. Women’s World Cup Final victory over England.

Talking to “El LargueroOn Spanish outlet Cadena SER later on Tuesday, CSD President Victor Francos said the board was ready to get involved after receiving three formal complaints about Rubiales’ actions.

“We have been very clear with the RFEF about the need to open up the procedures provided by the Sports Code,” Francos said. “We cannot go through without opening those internal disciplinary procedures.

He added, “From there, we will wait for the case to be resolved urgently, and it is very limited with two people involved and there is not much that can be investigated.”

the csd It is an independent decision-making body of the Spanish government’s Ministry of Culture and Sports and has the potential power to demand Rubiales’ dismissal, but to do so would need the body to follow a series of required steps, including filing an external complaint against him. The case must be heard in court.

Miguel Angel Galán, head of the National Training Center for Football Managers, has already submitted a complaint about the unwanted kiss to both the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Commission on Ethics and Integrity of the Spanish Football Federation, which has been received and accepted.

in statement In announcing the extraordinary general assembly, the RFEF said it had opened the federation’s “internal integrity processes”.

Francos’ comments come amid mounting pressure on Rubiales.

On Tuesday, a day after Rubiales apologized and admitted he “made a mistake” while kissing Hermoso, Spain’s prime minister. Pedro Sanchez He said Rubiales’ apology “wasn’t enough”.

“It is true that there has been some behaviour, in the case of Mr. Rubiales, that shows that in our country there is still a long way to go in terms of equality and respect and in this equal rights of women and men,” Sanchez said.

“The apologies made by Mr. Rubiales are not enough. I even think it is not appropriate, and therefore Mr. Rubiales needs to continue to take steps to clarify what we have all seen.

Politicians across the political spectrum in Spain also echoed the prime minister’s criticism.

“We continue to call for the resignation of the man who belittled and assaulted a woman. “His excuses serve absolutely nothing,” Yolanda Diaz, Spain’s acting second deputy prime minister and leader of Sumar’s party, told a news conference.

“All institutional leaders must have exemplary behavior and the ideal nature must be respect for women and what we saw in this final in this sense was shameful,” said Coca Gambara, a spokeswoman for Parliament and Secretary General of the Popular Party. Only shame comes to my mind, at least.

in interview Spain defender Irene Paredes told Spanish newspaper ABC on Tuesday that the unwanted kiss was an “unfortunate gesture”, but that she and the team hoped it did not “tarnish everything” the team achieved at the Women’s World Cup.