UEFA President blames press for Rubiales kiss scandal, dismisses legal case

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has played down the importance of former RFEF President Luis Rubiales kissing his employee Jenni Hermoso without her consent. In his words, considering it a serious crime would be ‘illogical’.

Rubiales has disputed whether the kiss was consensual or not, but has admitted it was a mistake, blaming false feminism for the reaction to the incident. He was then suspended by FIFA, asked to resign by the RFEF, and eventually did so during an interview with Piers Morgan. He also stepped down from his Vice-President position with UEFA, who did not take any action against Rubiales.

Ceferin has claimed that while it was inappropriate, it shouldn’t amount to a criminal investigation, with Rubiales under suspicion of sexual assault and coercion. MD carried his words.

“What Rubiales did was inappropriate and incomprehensible. But when I read that his attitude was considered a serious crime… As a lawyer, that seems completely illogical to me.”

“The press brought this story to this level of importance,” Ceferin continued, seemingly downplaying the gravity of his actions.

Throughout the piece, Ceferin has been reluctant to criticise his former colleague for what many would qualify at the very least as workplace harassment from Rubiales. UEFA themselves have little input from women in top positions, with just one of their 18-member board female. Currently the Spanish national team remain at loggerheads with the Federation as they ask for better working conditions.