The case of Luis Rubiales, disgraced President of the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF), continues to unfold across the country. The Spanish government had to admit temporary defeat after a court ruling stymied their plans to plans to remove Rubiales from his position. The Spanish Administrative Sports Court (TAD) ruled in favor of opening an investigation against Rubiales for his actions at the Women's World Cup. However, TAD classified the breach of conduct as "severe" as opposed to "very severe". This one-word difference means that the Spanish government is unable to suspend Rubiales from his position. However, they will still be able to remove him during the investigation.
"TAD only considers the [offences] serious. We believe that they are very serious. The Superior Sports Council itself could have directly suspended Mr. Rubiales if they were very serious. But as TAD have not qualified it as such, it is up to the court itself. We will file a request for them to take that position," said Miquel Iceta, Spain's minister of culture and sports during a press conference.
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Rubiales Takes Another Bizarre Turn
Ever since Rubiales refused to resign from office, the case has gotten progressively weirder. While he was provisionally suspended by FIFA, that did not quench the influence he had on the federation. His allies in the federation declared that Jenni Hermoso was deliberately and maliciously lying in a public statement. Furthermore, they also attempted to remove Spain from FIFA and UEFA jurisdiction. It is believed that this gambit was attempted in order to swing support back in favor of Rubiales by threatening the inclusion of Spanish clubs in continental competition.
Meanwhile, Rubiales' mother, Ángeles Béjar, made headlines after locking herself in a church in her hometown and engaging in a hunger strike. She told reporters that she was fighting for justice for her son and would not eat until he was vindicated. This resulted in Béjar being admitted to hospital due to issues caused by the hunger strike. While she was soon discharged, it is unclear if she has continued the hunger strike. While the situation continues to unfold, a vast majority of the soccer world is standing behind Hermoso and the women's team.
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