PETE JENSON: Luis Rubiales went on the attack when he was last on the brink, the remarkable chaos has an air of Sepp Blatter about it as the Spanish president blamed everyone else
- Nobody should be surprised by Luis Rubiales’ refusal to quit his position
- There’s an air of Sepp Blatter in how Rubiales has placed blame on everyone else
- WATCH: It’s All Coming Up – Mail Sport’s preview show for the weekend’s football
‘Embarrassing,’ tweeted Iker Casillas. ‘My ears are bleeding’ posted David De Gea.
They were the reactions to the shouty ‘non-resignation’ speech delivered by Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales on Friday.
No one should be entirely surprised that after a week of testimonies to various incidents of inappropriate behaviour, not just the kiss on the lips of Spain’s all-time top scorer Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony, he refused to quit.
The last time he was on the brink of losing his job he also went on the attack.
It was in 2022 when he took the four-team Community Shield equivalent Spanish Super Cup away from Spain to Saudi Arabia where it would be played every January for 40m euros a season.
No one should be entirely surprised by Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales’ refusal to quit
When Spanish website El Confidencial revealed voice messages of conversations with Gerard Pique, whose company had taken a commission for setting up the sale, Rubiales was accused of corruption.
But in a press conference he said: ‘This is a Mafia. I don’t think you’ll find me in a ditch shot in the back of the head, but I can’t guarantee you won’t find cocaine in the boot of my car.’
He subsequently hired a private detective agency to spy on individuals with the aim of finding out how the leak had come about.
On his refusal to go he added: ‘My sister broke my legs from top to bottom when I was one month old because she fell on me. My father took me to the doctor and he told him that I was going to be anything but a footballer. I am a fighter.’
The former Levante, Alicante and Hamilton Academicals defender took over as Federation president in 2018 and his first major decision was to sack Spain coach Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the World Cup finals in Russia because he’d agreed to join Real Madrid after the tournament. It left the Spain team in bits and they were knocked out in the last 16.
So he has form for impulsive, ego-driven actions that bring division and chaos in their wake.
And him staying on will bring division and chaos. The women’s season kicks off on September 8 and it should have done so on a wave of positivity after the World Cup win.
Instead it will begin in the shadow of Spain’s Sports ministry seeing if it can suspend Rubiales – the Federation is a private entity.
The last time that Rubiales was on the brink of losing his job he also went on the attack
There is an air of Sepp Blatter with regards to how Rubiales has blamed everyone else
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The defining story of last week’s final should have been Real Madrid full-back Olga Carmona’s brilliantly taken winning goal and impeccable conduct in the unimaginable circumstances of finding out her father had died before the final.
Instead Rubiales’ kiss and his crotch grab stood a few down from the Queen of Spain soon saturated coverage at the expense of all else.
It seemed the plus-side would be Rubiales’ removal. The injustice of him marring the big moment was a stream of revelations in the following days.
Beatrice Alvarez, the President of Spain’s Women’s League told Spanish radio that when she took the job she had just given birth to her third child and requested that her first meetings with Rubiales be via video-conference.
She recalled: ‘He said that if I had just become a mum I should dedicate myself to that, and the meetings had to be in person.’
On the same ‘Cope’ radio programme the story jogged the memory of one of the presenters that in a previous general assembly of the Federation Rubiales had introduced the women players on to the stage with what he felt was a joke apologising for them ‘being in their underwear’.
They were in shorts and t-shirts and it revealed another double standard. He would not have said the same about the men’s team.
The situation now has an air of ‘Sepp Blatter’ to it. It was the Federation which had the power to oust him but it’s a very closed shop organisation full of people who owe either their positions or there most recent subsidies to Rubiales.
They maybe hoped he would make things easy and quit. Instead they watched, and some, such as current Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, applauded, as he blamed everyone but himself.
Gabri Veiga’s move is the most important Saudi signing of the summer
What to make of Al Ahli’s capture of Gabri Veiga, the 21-year-old midfielder who was the best young player in La Liga last season?
Well for a start let’s put the small violins back in their small violin cases – European football has been using a financial advantage to hoover up all of South America’s young talent for several decades now.
What is puzzling is what makes Veiga decide to take the Saudi Pro League money now. His Celta Vigo coach Rafa Benitez said this week: ‘It will change his and his family’s life for the better.’
But wouldn’t the 4m euros he was going to earn at Napoli who had agreed to sign him, also have changed his and his family’s life? Okay so it’s not the 20m euros tax free Pini Zahavi has negotiated for him but he turns down the chance to play at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium in the Champions League next season.
What is clear is that it’s the most important Saudi signing his summer because he if stagnates in Jeddah and subsequently never fulfills his huge potential then it’s not a move other young players will copy. But if he doesn’t let his bank balance take the edge off of his appetite and eventually comes back to have a great career then it might just pave the way for many more similar deals.
21-year-old Gabri Veiga’s move to Al-Ahli is the most important Saudi signing of the summer
Harry Kane has already won over Bayern legends
Harry Kane was back in training on Thursday to prepare for Sunday’s match against Augsburg after spending three days in London following the birth of his fourth child.
He returned having already won over one of the most important ‘focus groups’ at Bayern: the one made up by ex-players. Sure, it’s important to sell 13,000 shirts on your first day as German media reported, and even more so to score in your first league game.
But when you’ve also got Bayern greats Lothar Matthaus and Roy Makaay onside you really have made a good start.
‘He is not only a good player, he also brings a personality,’ said Matthaus. ‘He fits in, he’s almost like a second Thomas Muller. That’s exactly what has been missing in the last few months. He’s worth the money. He will pay it back over the next three or four years.’ Makaay, who got 23 goals in his first season at Bayern 20 years ago, added: ‘No one has to worry about Kane. His is England’s captain and top scorer,’ he knows the pressure.’
Harry Kane has already earned praise from Bayern legends Lothar Matthaus and Roy Makaay
Bayern legend Matthaus praised Kane, saying that he will be able to pay back his transfer fee
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