Who is controversial Spanish football official Luis Rubiales?

Controversy broke out on Sunday, August 20 when Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales made headlines for all the wrong reasons despite the nation’s first FIFA Women’s World Cup victory. Present at the post-match ceremony, Rubiales sparked controversy by kissing Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso during the medal distribution, an act that was deemed inappropriate by the player and Spanish media. However, this was not the first time Hermoso has been in the news as he continues to be surrounded by controversies. So who is Luis Rubiales and what is his role in Spanish football?

Rubiales' early days

Coming from a playing background, the 46-year-old had a forgettable football career but yet reached the heights due to his off-field influence. Rubiales played in just 53 La Liga games, the top tier of Spanish football. He spent the majority of his career in the Spanish Segunda division (second tier) before making his debut in the top flight in August 2004 for Levante.

It was in the same city where he had started his footballing education where he graduated from Levante’s arch-rivals Valencia’s academy. He represented Guadix CF, RCD Mallorca B, UE Lleida, Xerez CD and Alicante CF. He briefly represented Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Premier League before calling time on his playing career.

Post playing career

Having stepped away from the playing ground, Rubiales did not detach from the game and was elected as the president of the Association of Spanish Footballers (ASF) in 2010. The period was filled with glory for Spanish football when they were the European champions and the World champions. He quickly became a big name in Spanish football before stamping his authority off the field in the game.

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In 2018 he would run for the post of Royal Spanish Football Federation office having resigned from the earlier post in 2017. He was elected to the office and came into the limelight for a big controversial decision. On the eve of the start of the FIFA 2018 World Cup, he sacked then-Spain manager Julen Lopetegui after he announced his intention to join Real Madrid. The decision came as a surprise to many as Spain’s preparations were thrown out of the window just a day before the World Cup began.

He would later get embroiled in controversies surrounding audio documents where he was speaking on commission for hosting certain Spanish Super Cup matches. Then Barcelona player Gerard Pique was the other player in conversation as he intended to bring big teams to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup.

Currently, under scrutiny, Rubiales has denied resigning from his office despite the controversy surrounding the kiss, calling it 'consensual'.

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