POOR GUY

Ex-Spanish Football Boss: I’m on Trial ‘Because I Am a Man’

Luis Rubiales has reportedly complained about the sexual assault charge against him in a new interview.

Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation who resigned amid scandal over a non-consensual kiss, has reportedly complained about the sexual assault charge against him in a new interview. Ahead of his trial for forcing a kiss on Spain forward Jenni Hermoso after last year’s World Cup, Rubiales suggested he was only in trouble due to his gender. “You cannot question Jennifer Hermoso, but you can question me. Because I am a man? For me there is no crime against Jennifer Hermoso,” he told La Sexta, per a translation by the BBC. He went on to say he was baffled by anyone considering the kiss a sexual assault. “Those who are victims of everything are my family and my friends,” he was quoted saying. Rubiales was also accused of pressuring Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual in the wake of the incident, though he has denied that allegation. The 46-year-old former football boss is also under scrutiny by prosecutors who are looking into his role in a deal to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.