Luis Rubiales is the President of the Spain Football Federation, on Sunday 21 August 2023, the Spanish Women Team has just done the unthinkable, beating the European Champions, England one zero at the final of the 2023 edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup. 

 

Rubiales, as one of the dignitaries congratulating the girls, unconsciously kissed Janine Hermoso passionately and directly in the mouth. 

The public outcry that followed his action has been louder than words can explain . Many have called for his resignation, which he initially accepted, but later  changed his mind and said he will not.

There has been an overwhelming pressure on the 46-year-old - who once played three games in the Scottish top flight - to resign after the incident following Spain's win in the Women's World Cup.

Hermoso confirmed she did not consent to the kiss, with the entire World Cup-winning squad refusing to play again until his removal, and all of the team's coaches minus manager Jorge Vilda resigning.

Spain's government started legal proceedings seeking to remove him after he emphatically refused to resign in a poorly-received speech on last Friday. And Fifa suspended him on Saturday for an initial 90 days from any football-related activity.

But who is Luis Rubiales?
Born in 1977 in the Canary Islands, Rubiales grew up in the Spanish mainland and had moderate success in his playing career as a defender.

He played lower-league football in Spain for Mallorca B, Lleida and Xerez before helping Levante to promotion and playing 53 La Liga games for them between 2004-05 and 2007-08.

He  led a players' strike at Levante over unpaid wages.

Rubiales then played a season for Alicante in the second tier before moving to Scottish side Hamilton Academical.

The full-back, then 32, played three Scottish Premier League matches and one League Cup game for Accies in August 2009, all defeats, and left the club just two weeks after signing. 

His career ended with a 4-1 defeat at Rangers, with Rubiales setting up Mark McLaughlin's header with a corner in the final three minutes.

Rubiales is not new to Controversies, since he got that the job of the Federation President of Spain. In May 2018. He started making headlines just weeks later.

Rubiales sacked Spain boss Julen Lopetegui just two days before their 2018 men's World Cup opener after discovering he had agreed to take over as Real Madrid boss after the tournament.

"I know there's going to be criticism whatever I do," he said at the time.

"I'm sure this will, in time, make us stronger. I admire Julen very much, I respect him very much. He seems a top trainer and that makes it harder to make the decision."

Spain, with Fernando Hierro in charge, lost to hosts Russia in the last 16.

At the time that was seen as a political power play, with newly-appointed Rubiales seizing the first opportunity to show that the federation would not be pushed around by anyone - including their most decorated club.

Rubiales would have repeated run-ins with La Liga boss Javier Tebas in another power struggle.

In August 2018, La Liga announced that a Spanish top-flight game would be played in the USA, later decided to be Girona v Barcelona in Miami, as part of a 15-year partnership.

But Rubiales said the deal was done without the permission of the RFEF and refused to authorise it. Barca withdrew the plans.

A year later a bid to have Villarreal v Atletico Madrid in Miami went to the courts, with La Liga losing.

Earlier this year they were locked in another dispute over the repeated racist abuse towards Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.

Tebas said in a social media message to the Brazil international: "Before you criticise and slander La Liga, you need to inform yourself properly. Neither Spain nor La Liga are racist, it is very unfair to say that."

But Rubiales told his Brazilian counterpart Ednaldo Rodrigues "to ignore the irresponsible behaviour of the president of La Liga".

He said "we have a serious behavioural problem, of education, of racism" which requires "a firm response from the federation, but they must let us apply it and so far it has not been the case".

In February 2019, Rubiales joined Uefa's executive committee and in May became a vice-president.

In 2021, he was acquitted in a legal case after architect Yasmina Eid-Macchet accused him of assault and non-payment.

Last year, Rubiales would say there was a "campaign to discredit me" and blamed the "mafia", adding: "I cannot guarantee that one day they will put a bag of cocaine in the boot of my car."

That came after hackers released stolen audio recordings from Rubiales and other officials, accusing them of a conflict of interest with then Barcelona defender Gerard Pique's company in a deal to play the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia - something the Spanish FA chief denies.

Of the human rights controversies about hosting the games in Saudi Arabia, Rubiales said: "We are doing a lot here on an ethical level, helping women in football.

"The other questions are political questions, outside football. Some critics invent things, sitting at home, without knowing what really happens here. We can't expect a society to change overnight - but girls can play football here in Saudi Arabia, and that is thanks to the Spanish federation."

Rubiales and Spain's women's team crisis is not the first time. 
In September 2022, Rubiales had backed coach Vilda and not the players in a huge dispute that may have accumulated into the furore that the 'Executive Kiss" has generated and the reason why Vilda refused to join his other colleagues to resign. 

When 15 players submitted an email saying that they would not play under Vilda as a national team unless "significant" concerns over their "emotional state" and "health" were addressed.

But, Rubiales stood by the coach, throughout, and insisted that most of the players will not play for the national team, and only three of them were in the squad that won the World Cup for Spain. 

Rubiales knows what is playing out on him, and he said in his speech on Friday: "Jorge Vilda, they wanted to do to you the same thing that they are doing to me now. We've been through a lot, but we've been together."

Yes, Vilda may have survived a players' revolt - and led them to World Cup glory this summer - but Rubiales may not survive his own as much as a total of 81 players saying they will not play for Spain while he remains the Federation President. Time, only Time will tell if Luis Rubiales will survive the gang up caused by his 'Executive Kiss'. We keep our fingers crossed.