Mother of Spanish FA President Goes On Hunger Strike

Spanish FA President, Luis Rubiales has refused to step down after kissing Jenni Hermoso during the celebration at Spain's Women's World Cup final win over England.

He was widely expected to resign at a meeting on Friday but instead made a defiant speech, claiming he was the victim of a witch-hunt by "false feminists."

FIFA have suspended the Spanish FA chief for 90 days to conduct investigation into the incident.

However, in a new twist, Rubiales mother, Angeles Bejar, has now locked herself in a church and announced a hunger strike in protest at her son's treatment.

Bejar said her strike would last "until a solution is found to the inhumane and bloody hunt they are carrying out against my son with something he does not deserve".

She asked Hermoso to tell the truth and "stick to the version she gave at the beginning".

"There is no sexual abuse since there is consent on both sides, as the images prove".  "My son is incapable of hurting anyone," Bejar said.

Luis Rubiales has been defiant over the kiss which has been condemned as unwanted by Hermoso, her team-mates and the Spanish government, arguing it was consensual.

Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss, adding she felt "vulnerable and the victim of an aggression".

Gender issues have become a prominent topic in Spain in recent years. Tens of thousands of women have taken part in street marches protesting against sexual abuse and violence.

Credit Sky sports 

I will not resign: 'I'm socially murdered by false feminism. The kiss was consensual'

Following Spain's triumph over England with a 1-0 win in Sydney, Spanish FA president,Luis Rubiales participated in the medal and trophy presentation. It was during this ceremony that he grabbed Barcelona's Jenni Hermoso and gave her a kiss on the lips, sparking controversy.

Rubiales said: "I have already apologised for an unfortunate gesture. I have already said about the kiss that it is mutual and consented and for which I have to apologise for the context."

"Was it serious enough for me to go? I will not resign. There must be a law for someone to leave a place. Is a consensual kiss enough to get me out of there? If someone wants to commit that atrocity, I can defend myself. I also hope that the law is complied with."

Rubiales added: "The kiss was consented. We had very affectionate moments. The moment Jenni appeared, she picked me up from the ground that we almost fell."

"And when she left me on the ground, we hugged. She took me up in her arms and we hugged. I told her that she will forget about the [missed] penalty. I told her that we had won the World Cup thanks to her"

"Whoever sees the video will understand that in front of millions of people on television, in front of all the people who were there, the desire that I could have in that kiss was the same that I could have kissing one of my daughters. That is understood by anyone and even those who are in the media."

"False feminism is a scourge. A social murder is being carried out. They are trying to kill me. As a Spaniard, I think we have to reflect on where we are going. Being a world champion is the greatest thing there is."

"For five years they have been going after me for everything - dozens of lawsuits, denunciations, requests for disqualification... They are always the same, we know who they are."

"They have referred to the kiss as vexation, sexual violence, without consent, assault... By God, what will women think who have really been sexually assaulted. To these people who want to murder me publicly, I am going to defend myself in court. I'm going to take action against them."

Meanwhile, Real Betis striker and Spain international, Borja Iglesias claims he will not return to the Spanish national team unless Luis Rubiales is punished.

Football governing ruling body, FIFA have suspended the Spanish FA president and lunched an investigation into the unfortunate incident that is rocking the football community.

Credit tribuna.com

Spanish FA President To Resign Today

President of the Spanish football Association (RFEF), Luis Rubialies will today announce his resignation. This is following a week of growing pressure after last Sunday’s women’s World Cup final.

The 45 year old was involved in several uncomfortable moments as Spain lifted the trophy, culminating in an awkward kiss on the lips of star player Jenni Hermoso.

Through the last few days there have been accusations and revelations on all sides about his past conduct, and once FIFA announced an investigation into his behaviour last night, it has always felt the jig was up.

Pressure from all sides – including Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez and dozens of coaches, players and administrators in football, has finally told.

Rubialies's resignation will end the ugly few days in Spanish football which has shrouded what should have been a glorious celebration of the rise of the women’s game to the very top.

Crystal Palace To Sign Eden Hazard

English Premier side, Crystal Palace are planning to gamble on Belgian free agent Eden Hazard, despite his injury problems. 

Eagles boss Steve Parish believes that Hazard still has something to offer, commercially and on the pitch. Head coach Roy Hodgson is also said to be keen for the move to happen.

At this stage in his career, this would not be a grand comeback to the Premier League.

Hazard would be offered a simple one-year deal with a pay-as-you-play structure. In other words, he would receive an inexpensive base salary but with the ability to augment his income through appearance and performance bonuses.

It will be up to the player to decide whether he still has enough left in the tank to perform at the Premier League level, but a return to London and joining an ambitious Palace project may be tempting to the Chelsea legend.

Manchester United lose a friendly match against Burnley

Manchester United lost a behind closed door friendly to Burnley on Wednesday day at the Carrington training ground. The game ended at 3-0 in favour of Burnley.

After two under performances in the season so far, this defeat at the hands of Burnley, be it a friendly, won't help quell the team's confidence.

Though fringe players such as Anthony Martial, Donny van de beek and Scott McTominay started the game, Eric ten Hag will have to look ahead and think how to improve the fortunes of the team.

Manchester United Urged To Bring In Lukaku

Manchester United legend, Dwight Yorke, has urged Erik ten Hag to consider bringing in Lukaku to fortify the team.

‘Romelu Lukaku is absolutely still good enough to play for a top-six club'. ‘As much as people say about Lukaku, he has a very impressive goalscoring record and he doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves.

Romelu Lukaku has reportedly been forced to train with Chelsea U21s and has not held a single conversation with head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Chelsea are desperate to sell Lukaku in the summer transfer window following his season-long loan at Inter Milan last term.

Lukaku rejected a move to Saudi Arabia earlier in the window and there is no other concrete interest in the Belgian, leaving the 30-year-old stuck in transfer limbo.

The Belgian hit man had been linked with a permanent move to Inter Milan earlier in the window but the Champions League runners-up were unable to meet his price tag.

Credit metro.co.uk

Spanish FA President Issues Apology For Kiss

The President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales issued a video statement through the RFEF in which he apologized for the kiss on the lips to Spanish female player, Jenni Hermoso.

"I have a magnificent relationship with Jenni, as with other players, and in a moment of maximum effusiveness without any bad faith, what happened happened , I think in a very spontaneous way. Surely I was wrong and I have to admit it, no there is another . Also, I must learn from this and understand that when you are president of an institution as important as the federation you have to be more careful , especially in ceremonies and in this type of matter."

For her part, Jenni Hermoso downplayed the incident which she described as a "totally spontaneous mutual gesture", "of friendship and gratitude."

Credit Marca Sport