Rubiales, who earlier this week called his critics “idiots,” remained stubborn in the face of growing calls for him to go.
After an urgent meeting with federation officials, he gave a fiery address in which he vowed not to resign and to instead “fight until the end.” He repeated the phrase “I am not going to resign” four times.
And in yet another shocking move, Rubiales gave Jorge Vilda, the coach of the immensely unpopular Spanish women’s national team, a four-year extension on her contract.
On Monday, Rubiales apologized for the kiss, and on Thursday, Fifa, the governing body of world football, initiated disciplinary proceedings against him.
On Friday, he expressed regret for having grabbed his crotch in the VIP section of Stadium Australia, where King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain were watching the game with their 16-year-old daughter.
However, Rubiales stands on his claim, “I’m ready to be vilified to defend my ideals.”
There have been reports by Relovo, Spanish sports media website, allegedly claiming that the Spanish Football Federation issued a statement, seemingly quoting Hermoso, and later released a video of Rubiales’ apology.
The released text said: “(The kiss) was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture due to the immense joy of winning a World Cup. The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour towards all of us has been outstanding and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude”.
“We can’t think any more about a gesture of friendship and gratitude, we won a World Cup and we’re not going to deviate from what’s important,” she purportedly added.
Relevo says that the player was not consulted before those statements were made by the Spanish Federation’s communications team.
According to reports from Spain, Rubiales approached Jenni Hermoso on the plane and requested her to shoot a video with him in which he apologized and explained what had transpired before the party got started. This clip would then be shared on other social media platforms.
He allegedly tried to convince Hermoso to help him save his job, but she declined.
According to Relevo.com, both Rubiales and Spain’s coach Jorge Vilda attempted to resolve the problem by speaking with the player and her family. The players’ success was tainted by the incident, so they were eager to put an end to the uproar.
However, when the plane landed in Doha for a layover, Rubiales recorded the video apology on his own.
The Football Federation assured Euronews that the rumors were false after the outlet made contact with them. The company’s legal team is currently investigating the article’s claims, but they will not issue a statement to the media.
