Naman Shrestha
With Joanna Pardos at the helm, Netflix’s ‘It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football’ is a sports documentary movie focusing on the 2023 scandal involving the then-President of Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) — Luis Rubiales — after the Women’s Spanish Football Team conquered the world by winning the 2023 FIFA World Cup. It resulted in a global outrage against the entire organization that many deemed to be working to protect the accused. Eventually, the wave of anger led to the Spanish players announcing their boycott of the team until and unless the necessary changes were made. Ultimately, Luis faced intense consequences following the incident.
Luis Rubiales Became Infamous For His Inappropriate Behavior During the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final 2023
Following the controversial kiss at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Luis Rubiales was accused of sexual misconduct with the players of the World Cup-winning Spanish women’s football team, especially Jennifer “Jenni” Hermoso. The former President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was charged with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion after Jenni and her teammates claimed that the incident was disrespectful and inappropriate. A restraining order was passed, whereby the judge ordered him not to come within 200 meters of Jenni.
Initially, he refused to resign from his post, despite the unrest his behavior caused on social media and the football world. However, he was forced to give in to the pressure and step down from his post as the President of RFEF and the Vice-President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on September 10, 2023. He was also banned from other football activities for the following three years. During a conversation with La Sexta, Luis said, “You cannot question Jennifer Hermoso, but you can question me – because I am a man? For me, there is no crime against Jennifer Hermoso. Whoever sees the images… I can’t understand that anyone would consider it a sexual assault. Those who are victims of everything are my family and my friends.”
Luis Rubiales Has Been Working in the Footballing World For Decades
Son of Luis Manuel Rubiales López and Ángeles Béjar, Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar was brought up in Motril in the Spanish Province of Granada. After graduating from high school, he studied law at the Universidad CEU San Pablo before earning a degree in Sports Direction from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. From 1997 to 2009, he played professional football for several clubs, including Guadix Club de Fútbol, Real Club Deportivo Mallorca B, Club Lleida Esportiu, Xerez Club Deportivo SAD, Levante UD, Alicante Club de Fútbol, and Hamilton Academical Football Club Limited.
After hanging up his boots, Luis became a board member at Deporte Europeo (Bruselas) in 2010. In the same year, he also became the President of Asociación de Futbolistas Españoles (AFE) and a member of the Board of Directors at Consejo Superior de Deportes. In the following years, he took on more responsibilities as he became Miembro del Comité Estratégico del Fútbol Profesional at UEFA, Vice-President at FIFPRO, and President of the Board of Directors at Mutualidad de Deportistas Profesionales (MDP). Before becoming the President of RFEF in 2018, he was a member of its Board of Directors. Around the same time, he also served as the President of DATAC (Comité de Desarrollo y Asistencia Técnica de la UEFA) and the Vice-President of UEFA.
Luis Rubiales is Connected to Two Different Criminal Cases
Following his ban from footballing activities, Luis Rubiales appealed to get it reduced or uplifted, but FIFA decided to reject his appeal and upheld the 3-year ban in January 2024. After returning from the Dominican Republic on April 3, 2024, the former RFEF President was taken into custody by the Civil Guard’s Central Operative Unit (UCO) on the runway of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. According to reports, the detention was not related to the case of Jenni Hermoso but connected to a corruption investigation about the relocation of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia during his tenure as the RFEF President.
Luis was questioned at the airport’s Terminal 4 Civil Guard unit and released after he reportedly claimed that he had never taken a bribe in his life. As far as his personal life is concerned, he is the father of three daughters with his former lawyer wife, Manuela Delicado Vega. According to reports, they are still on good terms and stay up to date with each other’s lives. Although he is out of prison, he awaits his trial for the sexual misconduct case against him.
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