Women's Golden Ball opposes the President of the Spanish Football Federation
During an extraordinary press conference at RFEF headquarters on August 25, Rubiales said five times "will not resign" and emphasized that a kiss with female player Jennifer Hermoso was consent. The head of the RFEF added that the act was as normal as kissing his daughter.
This statement caused Rubiales to receive criticism. On the social network X - formerly known as Twitter, Putellas wrote: "This is unacceptable. It's over."
Putellas is the biggest star of Spanish football, winning France Football's Golden Ball and FIFA's Best Female Player of the Year for two consecutive years 2021 and 2022. She is said to have dated Hermoso in the period 2020. -2022.
Putellas and Hermoso have been competing together for over a decade. Putellas joined Barca from Levante in 2013, and Hermoso joined the Catalan club a year later. They were called up to Spain at the same time and spent most of their international careers playing midfield. Hermoso left Barca in 2017, returned to the club in 2019, then left the team in 2022 and is playing for Mexican club Pachuca. Putellas has been with Barca for the past 11 years.
Another Barca player, Graham Hansen, also criticized Rubiales. "It was all a lie. We all see what really happened," she wrote on X about the scandal between the RFEF president and former teammate Hermoso.
Goalkeeper Cata Coll - a member of the Spain team that won the 2023 World Cup - also posted a message of support for his teammates. "It's a pity that the collective of 23 football players is not the main character. Everything is over," she wrote.
Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias has announced that he will boycott the team and refuse to participate in future international calls to protest against Rubiales. He insists he will continue to do this "until things change and behaviors like Rubiales are punished".
Barca also released a statement regarding Rubiales' controversial conduct at the 2023 World Cup. "Barca would like to clarify that we consider the behavior of the RFEF president to be completely inappropriate during the team's World Cup celebration celebrations. Spain women's team", the announcement reads.
La Liga president Javier Tebas criticized Rubiales' actions as "global shame" and alleged that there was bullying, blackmail, intimidation, repression and espionage within the league. Male players like David De Gea, Iker Casillas or Hector Bellerin also criticized and demanded Rubiales' resignation.
Previously, many leaders of ministerial and prime ministerial levels of countries asked Rubiales to resign. Hermoso herself also said that she was not at all comfortable with the RFEF president's actions.
Rubiales is a former player, grew up at Atletico's youth academy, won the Spanish Second Division with Levante in 2004 and went up to play in La Liga.
After retiring in 2009, Rubiales was elected President of the Association of Spanish Players and was elected President of RFEF in May 2018. One of Rubiales' first big decisions was to sack coach Julen Lopetegui just before Spain's 2018 World Cup, because this coach surreptitiously reached an agreement to lead Real Madrid.
