The disgraced former Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales had eggs flung at him, allegedly by his uncle, during the presentation of his new book on Thursday in Madrid.
Rubiales, convicted of sexual assault for a forced kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, appeared to be struck on the back by an egg as the man Rubiales claimed was his uncle threw three in the direction of the 48-year-old.
“I’ve found out he was my own uncle, Luis Ruben he’s called. An uncle who is my age,” Rubiales told news portal Periodista Digital. “He threw eggs at me because he’s a deranged person, and I don’t think there’s any justification for it. They’ve arrested him, they’ve taken him away and, well, we’ll have to take action against him because I honestly thought he was armed.”
National police stated that a Spanish man had been arrested but declined to confirm the family connection.
Rubiales tried to chase after his uncle before being held back by other people at the event to present his book “Matar a Rubiales“ (Killing Rubiales). Speaking on Spanish television earlier this week Rubiales claimed he was the victim of a “sudden far-left movement” that created a “parallel reality” to capitalise on the issue surrounding his forced kiss on Hermoso.
Rubiales was fined €10,800 for forcibly kissing Hermoso during the medal ceremony after Spain won the Women’s World Cup in Sydney in August 2023. The former RFEF chief insists it was consensual and his lawyer said in June he would appeal the conviction at the supreme court after a Spanish appeals court upheld his fine.
Spain’s penal code dictates a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a legal category encompassing all types of sexual violence.
The incident sparked a global uproar forcing Rubiales to relinquish his post, it saw him banned from all football-related activity for three years and plunged the federation into a prolonged period of turmoil. The affair made Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the national women’s team, a focal point of the fight against sexism and macho culture in sport.
