August 20: Luis Rubiales kisses a photo of Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth after the World Cup final in Sydney.
August 21: Rubiales apologizes for the incident and says he regrets it.
August 24: The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) opens disciplinary procedures against Rubiales.
August 25: In the evening, Hermoso took the paper out of his mouth after several days of criticism directed at Rubiales. There she explained that she had not consented to the kiss and described herself as a “victim of an act based on impulsivity and sexism.” Meanwhile, more than 50 players have made it clear they will not play for Spain as long as Rubiales is president of football. A few days later, the support staff withdrew as well, with the exception of coach Jorge Villeda.
August 26: The Spanish Football Federation insists on prosecuting Hermoso in an attempt to “exonerate” Rubiales.
August 28: The Spanish Football Federation is holding a crisis meeting in Madrid on the same day that Spanish prosecutors open a case against Rubiales for possible sexual assault.
August 28: After an extraordinary meeting, the regional leaders of Spanish football decided to ask Rubiales to step down from his position as football president immediately. They also demand reforms in the union.
September 5: The Spanish Football Federation apologizes to World Football and says Rubiales’ behavior has caused significant damage to the sport’s reputation.
September 5: National team coach, Jorge Villeda, was forced to leave his position, 16 days after leading the team to World Cup gold.
September 8: Spanish prosecutors stated that they would take further legal action against Rubiales.
September 10: Rubiales announced that he would resign from his position as president of football in Spain and from the position of vice president of the European Football Association (UEFA).
September 22: The dispute between the association and the players did not subside. 39 players – including the entire World Cup squad – became unavailable for the national team after the World Cup. In addition to the departure of Rubiales and coach Jorge Villeda, they demanded fairer conditions and respect for the players. They were selected for the National League games in September. The Spanish Football Federation asked the players to support the federation’s internal purification process after the Rubiales scandal. The players didn’t like that. In the match against Sweden, they conducted surveillance before the start of the match.
Sources: ESPN, Agence France-Presse
(NTP/VG)
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