Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has characterised his applause during Luis Rubiales‘ impassioned speech as an “unforgivable human error” and has requested “forgiveness.”
During the awards ceremony of the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent, a matter that Hermoso later clarified as non-consensual.
Despite the controversy, the Spanish FA President has chosen to remain in his prominent position and defended his actions during an intense press conference last Friday.
During this press conference, De La Fuente was in attendance and was seen applauding Rubiales, joined by women’s team head coach Jorge Vilda.
However, in retrospect, the manager has come to believe that his actions were a “mistake” and if given a chance, he would not “commit that act” again.
“Almost all of us RFEF (Spanish Football Federation) workers went in there thinking that we were going to see the dismissal of a president and we found something completely different,” he told reporters on Friday.
“It was not easy to digest. It was a situation that overwhelmed me. I have not felt betrayed by Luis Rubiales, but I arrived thinking that it was going to be a resignation meeting and we were shocked when we saw that it was not this way.
“I don’t have to resign; I have to ask for forgiveness. I made a mistake—an inexcusable human error. If I could go back, I wouldn’t commit that act again. I am on the side of equality and respect. We all have to improve in terms of equality and I am the first,” he added.
Rubiales has been suspended by FIFA from all football-related activities for 90 days and around 81 players have since claimed that they will not play for Spain until Rubiales is dismissed.
Meanwhile, De La Fuente will shift his focus to the two upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Georgia and Cyprus on September 8 and 12, respectively.
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