The Spanish football federation has issued an apology for the controversial incident involving its president, Luis Rubiales, who kissed Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final.
FIFA suspended Rubiales from all football activities for a period of 90 days due to his refusal to step down from his role as RFEF chief.
In his absence, Pedro Rocha is currently leading the organization, and he seized the opportunity to extend apologies to both the global football community and society as a whole for the situation.
The letter described the behaviour of Rubiales, who grabbed and kissed Spain captain Hermoso after the World Cup final win over England and was seen grabbing his crotch during the match, as “totally unacceptable”, adding the then president’s actions “do not respond in any way to the values of Spanish society as a whole”.
Rocha’s letter began by saying it was “essential to request the most sincere apologies to the whole of world football, to the football institutions (FIFA, UEFA) of the footballers, especially the players of England in Spain, the other agents involved in football and fans around the world”.
“The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and to the values of football and sport as a whole have been enormous,” it read. “The RFEF wants to transmit to the whole of society and to the whole of the football world its utmost regret for what happened that has tarnished our national team, our football and our society.
“We feel deeply saddened by the damage caused and therefore, we must apologize most sincerely and make a firm and absolute commitment that events like these can never happen again.”
Rocha reiterated that the regional presidents of the RFEF have demanded that Rubiales resigns from the post and promised “a whole set of actions that improve the governance of the Spanish football federation and allow it to repair, to the extent possible, the damage caused”.
The three-page letter ended with Rocha congratulating the Spain women’s team on their World Cup triumph and with a recognition that the Rubiales controversy had overshadowied their achievement.
“Finally, I want to congratulate our team once again for its historic triumph, recognizing the impact and legacy that his victory will have on the future of Spanish football.
“We are convinced that his spirit has inspired millions of people of all ages, and we cannot be prouder of the way they have behaved, both inside and off the field of play. In due time, I intend to give them back the spotlight and celebrate their achievements as they deserve.”