Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Spanish FA president’s mother opens up about ongoing hunger strike

25 August 2023: Rubiales does not resign, apologising again for his behaviour but insisting that the kiss was “mutual, euphoric and consensual.” “I will not resign, I will not resign,” he tells an extraordinary general assembly called by the federation. “A social assassination is taking place. “I’ve come under a lot of pressure. Perhaps somebody will look to remove me on Monday. But we live in a country of laws. Is a consensual kiss enough to remove me? I’m going to fight until the end. I hope the law is followed, and that as there’s no reason to [remove me], it won’t happen.”

26 August 2023: Rubiales is provisionally suspended from all football activities by Fifa for 90 days.

28 August 2023: Members of the former defender’s family lock themselves inside a church in the coastal town of Motril in the south of Spain. His mother, Angeles Bejar, vows to go on hunger strike until the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt which my son is being subjected to” is concluded. Uefa, meanwhile, say that no action will be taken despite a request from Rfef to be expelled from competition for breaking the European football governing body’s own statutes on state interference. Rfef’s regional presidents ask for Rubiales to resign after being called to an “extraordinary and urgent” meeting in Madrid.

20 August 2023: Spain win the Women’s World Cup for the first time. Rubiales kisses midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the medal presentation ceremony and grabs his crotch during the game.

21 August 2023: Rubiales issues an initial apology after Spain’s minister for culture and sport, Miquel Iceta, describes his actions as “unacceptable”.

23 August 2023: Pressure builds on Rubiales as a number of Spanish clubs call for his resignation. The Spanish Players’ Association, Liga F and Fifpro all condemn his behaviour.

24 August 2023: Fifa opens disciplinary proceedings against the 46-year-old, and it is widely reported that Rubiales will resign as Rfef president on Friday 25 August.

May 2018: Luis Rubiales is elected president of the Spanish FA (Rfef)

February 2019: The former Levante and Hamilton Academical defender joins Uefa’s executive committee

September 2020: Rubiales is re-elected to the position unopposed after Iker Casillas drops out of contention

September 2022: 15 players on the Spanish women’s national team demand improvements to the structure and support of the side, including highlighting concerns over the management of Jorge Vilda. Rfef back the coach and threaten the rebelling players with bans of up to five years - most of the 15 are not selected in Vilda’s World Cup squad.

Ella Toone has said that England’s Lionesses “all stand behind Jennifer Hermoso” with Luis Rubiales still yet to resign after kissing the Spain midfielder without her consent after the Women’s World Cup final.

The president of the Spanish football association (Rfef) has refused to step down from his role after the incident during the medal ceremony that followed Spain’s triumph over England in Australia.

Rubiales, who was also criticised for grabbing his crotch during the final, had been expected to resign last week, but declined to do so at an extraordinary press conference.

The saga took another bizarre turn on Monday after the 46-year-old’s mother locked herself inside a church and went on hunger strike, describing the reaction to her son’s behaviour as “an inhuman, bloodthirsty witch-hunt”.

Manchester United’s Toone, who was part of the Lionesses side beaten in Sydney, believes that Rubiales’s actions and the subsequent outcry have overshadowed Spain’s first Women’s World Cup win.

Hundreds of people waving women’s rights placards gathered in the centre of Madrid on Monday 28 August to protest against the Spanish football federation’s president Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales was provisionally suspended by Fifa on Saturday 26 August, pending an investigation into his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on 20 August.

The 46-year-old grabbed his crotch in the VIP area of the stadium in celebration of Spain’s win over England, before kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medals presentation.

His mother is on hunger strike over the “inhuman” treatment of her son, according to reports in Spain.

Watch the video of the protest here:

Imagine, for a moment, the world’s worst fantasy dinner party. Donald Trump is there with his mate Vladimir Putin. Dan Wootton of GB News is in full anti-woke flow. Nadine Dorries is loudly guffawing at everything Boris Johnson says.

Around the table, self-congratulation is the principal topic of conversation. Everyone is enjoying this celebration of the architects of post-truth. Then, suddenly, all eyes are drawn to the one guest nobody had heard of until last week: Luis Rubiales, the Spanish football administrator and a man previously barely recognised beyond the confines of his own front room (and certainly not in his own kitchen: that’s where women go).

Fearful that others are hogging the limelight, he congratulates the hostess for the quality of her cooking by grabbing her in an aggressive embrace, before giving her a full-on smacker on the lips and clutching at his groin in an unmistakable gesture of sexual self-aggrandisement.

When she looks a touch discombobulated, he launches a vociferous attack on her, accusing her of conducting a vendetta against him. He will sue for defamation, he says as he throws the food across the table. And if she carries on with her insulting attacks on his integrity, then he has no alternative: he will instruct his mum to lock herself in her local church and go on hunger strike in protest.

If that reads like the plot of a particularly unlikely episode of Black Mirror, what has been going on in Spain these past few days has been no less ridiculous. After the country’s women’s team won the World Cup, there has barely been time or space to talk about the brilliance of their play or the meaning of their achievement.

Jim White discusses the fallout of the Rubiales scandal:

Leading officials within the Spanish Football Federation asked suspended president Luis Rubiales to resign for kissing a player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup final.

The heads of the regional bodies that make up the federation (Rfef) made the request in a collective statement.

“After the latest developments and the unacceptable behaviour that has caused great damage to the image of Spanish soccer, the presidents request that Luis Rubiales resign immediately as president of the Rfef,” the statement said.

The heads also urged interim president Pedro Rocha to immediately withdraw the federation’s request to Uefa to suspend it from international competitions because of government interference over demands to remove Rubiales.

That move was widely seen as an attempt to silence some of Rubiales’ critics, including government ministers who have asked for his removal, as such a suspension would ban Spanish teams from competitions like the Champions League and could sway public opinion in favour of letting him keep his job.

The Spanish Football Federation is considering whether it has grounds to sack Spain Women’s World Cup-winning head coach Jorge Vilda, according to reports.

Vilda is still in the post after most of his coaching staff resigned in protest against federation (Rfef) president Luis Rubiales, who has refused to quit for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso after their World Cup final win.

All of Spain’s 23 World Cup winners, plus another 58 players, have said they will not represent their country until Rubiales has left his post.

Rubiales, 46, was provisionally suspended by FIFA on Saturday pending an investigation into his conduct in Sydney after Spain’s win against England on August 20.

He was applauded by Vilda after repeatedly insisting that he would not quit at the Rfef’s extraordinary general meeting last Friday and the federation is exploring its options over whether they can sack the head coach.

The mother of suspended Spanish football president Luis Rubiales remains locked inside a church on hunger strike in protest against her son’s treatment after he kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the World Cup final.

“I will remain here for as long as my body can,” Angeles Bejar messaged a Spanish TV station from inside the church in Motril, southern Spain. “I am willing to die for justice because my son is a decent person and it is not fair what they’re doing.”

Bejar is holed up inside the parish church of Divina Pastora in the family’s home town, alongside her sister. Speaking outside the church on Monday, Rubiales’ cousin Vanessa Ruiz described Bejar as a “woman of great faith who has sought refuge in God”, and said the family wanted Hermoso to “tell the truth” that the kiss was not forced.