The mother of Luis Rubiales, the President of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), has embarked on a hunger strike to protest a recent controversy involving her son. The incident has sparked debate and raised questions about personal boundaries, cultural norms and the role of public figures.
The wide criticism comes after he kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s Women’s World Cup final win.
Hermoso denied the kiss was consensual and said in a statement she felt like “a victim of aggression, an impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part. In short, I wasn’t respected.”
Read more:The Kiss That Ignited a Storm in Spanish Football
His mother, Angeles Bejar, has now locked herself in a church in Motril. She told Spanish news agency EFE the strike would continue day and night.
Bejar told EFE that the “inhuman and bloody hunt that they are doing with my son is something he does not deserve”.
Spain’s Supreme Sports Council is also seeking to have him removed from office.
Rubiales has vowed not to resign but was suspended by FIFA on Saturday.
Additionally, 55 players on Spain’s women’s national team signed a petition that said they would boycott if Rubiales did not step down from his post
Rubiales’ cousin Vanessa Ruiz, who acts as a family spokesperson in Motril, said: “We are suffering a lot for him. He has been judged before his time.”
“They (media) doesn’t stop harassing us. We had to leave our house. We want them to leave us alone and for Jenni to tell the truth. It’s not fair. The way they are treating with him, the aggression, the feminists, the television, it seems to me shameful. All the people who are taking advantage of the situation, it is shameful.”
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As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the RFEF and President Rubiales will address the concerns raised and whether his mother’s hunger strike will have any impact on the outcome.
