The sporting defenestration this morning of Luis Rubiales by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which has disqualified him for three years for violating article thirteen of the code of the aforementioned body with his kiss to Jenni Hermoso in the final of the Women's World Cup, puts an end to the career of the controversial leader. Although this resolution is appealable, it seems very difficult for Rubiales to one day play any role in the world of football again.
Cornered by the Spanish Government, in the ordinary courts due to Hermoso's complaint, forgotten by the footballers (those of the national team through a lukewarm statement), at odds with the current leaders of AFE, the end of Rubiales was more than predicted and for weeks his was a death foretold since the territorial barons in the Federation turned their backs on him; the first, Pedro Rocha, the president of the management company and whom he had appointed as his dolphin in a flight forward, an embarrassing meeting in which he denied five times that he was going to resign. He did it days later.
Rubiales now looks at the Federation and finds no friends. They have fired the former general secretary and right-hand man, Andreu Camps; Miguel García Caba, head of the Integrity Area; to his head of communications, Pablo García Cuervo; to the women's coach, Jorge Vilda. Albert Luque, the football director, is at the starting gate; Rubén Rivera, marketing director, on the tightrope. Montse Tomé and Luis de la Fuente have been saved, the former almost by a miracle, clinging to their good results.
The story of Rubiales is that of a slow and progressive ascent to the summit and a spin just one minute after achieving glory. Average professional footballer (he only played one year in Primera, with Levante and before that he had played for Guadix, Mallorca B, Lleida and Xerez, and then for Scottish club Hamilton), lawyer, aggressive trade unionist (he was on the verge of leading a strike of footballers), Rubiales became president of the Federation on May 17, 2018 by winning the elections against Juan Luis Larrea, Ángel Villar's treasurer (almost thirty years in office), whom the CSD had removed from the presidency be prosecuted for the so-called Soule case.
Rubiales entered the Federation in his own style, seeking complicity with his rough and cocky style. His clashes with Javier Tebas were notorious. Immediately he saw that above all he sought to make the Federation a river of gold with the excuse of getting modest football out of ruin. They say in Las Rozas that one of his mottos was "better to be scared than disgusted."
Relentless worker and surrounded by a clique that laughed at his graces and style (he brought in his uncle Juan as head of his cabinet; then he rebuffed him and accused him of paying for parties in Salobreña with prostitutes with money from the Federation or a trip to New York with a Mexican painter) Rubiales soon saw his efforts crowned with success. The Federation went from earning 164 million to more than 400.
However, much of this money was highly questioned ethically, especially the super contract of 40 million euros a year to take the Spanish Super Cup to Arabia, with a further bite (24 million) to the company of Gerard Piqué, then an active player. From Barcelona.
All these criticisms did not affect Luis Rubiales too much, convinced that he had the Federation well controlled through the territorial barons and trying to win the favor of the Government with the project of organizing the 2030 World Cup, first in Spain alone; then with Portugal; then with Portugal and Ukraine, and finally with Portugal and Morocco in a most chameleon-like candidacy (they finally granted it, with him already out of the Federation).
Apart from the aforementioned complaints, Rubiales had others. Miguel Ángel Galán, from CENAFE (a private coaching school) had taken him to court accusing him of the alleged irregular payment by the Federation of the rent for a luxury apartment in Madrid's Plaza España when he was already registered in Madrid. Another court in Majadahonda would investigate an alleged case of coercion following a complaint from five clubs from the Association of National Third Category Football Clubs. In it, the teams point out that Rubiales threatened to expel them from the competition and not give them financial aid if they did not close their association.
In the midst of all these controversies and believing himself stronger than ever, the kiss to Jenni Hermoso and the way of celebrating the victory in the Women's World Cup on August 20 put Rubiales at the foot of the horses. Faced with harsh criticism from all sides, on August 26, FIFA provisionally disqualified him for three months, precipitating her downfall. The Government breathed. His friends have been abandoning him although he promises to fight. But since then the ball has only rolled downhill.
After learning of FIFA's resolution, Luis Rubiales posted a statement on social networks in which he assured that "FIFA issues decisions without foundation" and maintained his willingness to fight until the end.
In his writing, Luis Rubiales points out that he has been sanctioned for 66 days and FIFA has still not wanted to listen to his arguments: "The FIFA procedure has been characterized by issuing decisions without the basis for them, which in practical terms has prevented me from to file an appeal immediately, which in turn means that, as of today, I have been suspended for 66 of the 90 days without even having had a complete hearing to defend myself.”
Later, he assures that "due to the many efforts of some politicians, media and institutions, the disproportion and injustice committed is increasingly clear. The people, for the most part, are clear about it," says Rubiales.
And the former president of the Federation concludes: "I can only assure that at all times I have maintained one version of the events, that it is the truth of what happened and that it is the same one that I will maintain until the procedure is over. I will go as far as the last resort so that justice is done and the truth shines.”
