Mother of suspended Spanish football chief Rubiales goes on hunger strike

OVIEDO, Spain

The mother of Luis Rubiales, Spain’s suspended football chief, locked herself in a church on Monday and announced a hunger strike to defend her son.

Angeles Bejar said she will stay in the church in the town of Motril until she finds justice for her son who, she told Spanish news agency Efe, is the victim of an “inhumane, bloody witch-hunt.”

Rubiales’ mother is demanding that Jennifer Hermoso, the player whom her son kissed, “tells the truth,” insisting that her son “is incapable of hurting anyone,” Efe reported.

This is the latest twist in a dramatic saga that has rocked Spain over the last week.

It began just over a week ago, when Spain’s women’s team won the World Cup in Australia. During the celebrations, Rubiales vigorously grabbed his genitals in a victory gesture while standing next to Spain’s queen and her 16-year-old daughter and kissed Hermoso on the lips.

His actions raised eyebrows, and many were soon calling for him to apologize for his “sexist” behavior.

First, he called those questioning the kiss “idiots,” then released a video that included a half-hearted apology. It was not enough to satisfy his critics, and pressure grew for him to step down.

But on Friday, Spain was shocked when, instead of resigning, Rubiales went on a televised rant against “false feminism,” insisting Hermoso wanted the kiss and painting himself as the victim of a witch-hunt, shouting that “men won the World Cup too.” Many members of the federation gave him a standing ovation.

Rubiales’ defiant speech triggered a wave of condemnation. Football players from around the world came out in support of Hermoso, including men’s player Borja Iglesia who said he was boycotting the national team until things changed. Sponsors of Spain’s football federation including major Spanish corporations like Iberia and Iberdrola also condemned Rubiales’ “unacceptable” behavior.

By Friday evening, 81 of Spain’s top female players announced that they refused to play for Spain’s national team under the current management.

Hermoso also released a statement, saying Rubiales and the federation pressured her to say that she consented to the kiss even though it was not true. “I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out-of-place act without any consent on my part. Simply put, I was not respected,” she wrote.

In response, Spain’s federation doubled down on its stance, accusing Hermoso of lying and threatening legal action against Spain’s female players.

However, things changed quickly on Saturday, after FIFA announced they were suspending Rubiales for at least 90 days from his post and anything related to national or international football. FIFA also ordered Rubiales and the federation to refrain from contacting Hermoso or those close to her.

Soon after the suspension, the coaches of Spain’s men’s and women’s teams, who had given Rubiales a standing ovation just a day before, released statements condemning their former boss.

With the wave of support for Spain’s female football players, many are calling this Spain’s “me too” movement, empowering women to speak out against inequality and men who feel entitled to treat women however they want.

Later on Monday, a feminist association will hold a protest supporting Hermoso in Madrid. The Spanish football federation will also meet to decide how to move forward.

• Luis Rubiales
• Spain’s women's football team
• Spain’s women's Stirke