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Luis Rubiales has refused to directly apologise to Jenni Hermoso over the kiss that ultimately forced his resignation as Spanish football federation president.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV, Rubiales instead continued to maintain the kiss was \u201cconsensual\u201d and went on to suggest that the negative publicity over the affair had been \u201ccreated by spurious arguments and people\u201d.<\/p>\n
Rubiales announced his resignation in a statement posted on his unverified X account \u2013 formerly Twitter \u2013 on Sunday evening, having already been suspended by FIFA pending an investigation into his behaviour.<\/p>\n
Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation after Spain\u2019s victory over England in last month\u2019s World Cup final. Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual and has submitted a complaint to the national prosecutor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened is bad for everyone,\u201d Rubiales responded when asked by Morgan if he would apologise directly to Hermoso.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe had Jenni lifting me. We had the fleeting kiss, two tenths of a second, but what was created from that is crazy. So what\u2019s left for me is to defend my dignity. So it\u2019s not about that (the apology) Piers, it\u2019s about humility.\u201d<\/p>\n
So what we had is a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was driven by the emotion of the moment, the happiness, so I maintain that that is the truth of what happened<\/p>\n
Asked again if he wished to apologise, Rubiales continued: \u201cSo what we had is a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was driven by the emotion of the moment, the happiness, so I maintain that that is the truth of what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has turned out to be a snowball created by spurious arguments and people. My intentions were noble, enthusiastic, 100 per cent non-sexual.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no harm, no sexual content, no aggression, nothing like that. As president, once again, I will say\u2026 the significance of the kiss to Jenni would have been exactly the same as a kiss to one of my daughters. Between friends and family, that\u2019s very, very common.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Rubiales has been widely condemned for his behaviour following the final, when as well as kissing Hermoso he also grabbed his crotch in celebration while standing alongside Spain\u2019s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia in the VIP box.<\/p>\n
Despite issuing a general apology for his actions in a video statement issued the next day, Rubiales persistently refused to resign in the wake of a mounting revolt which saw 81 players, including every member of the World Cup-winning squad, indicating their unavailability for the national team squad while he remained in his post.<\/p>\n
On August 26 he was banned by FIFA from all football-related activities for an initial period of 90 days, while Spain manager Jorge Vilda \u2013 about whom concerns over his coaching methods had been expressed \u2013 was sacked.<\/p>\n
Despite continuing to stress that his kiss with Hermoso was \u201cmutual\u201d, Rubiales did acknowledge that it was a \u201cmistake\u201d that was not befitting of his role as Spanish FA president.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, I have said it from the beginning, I made a mistake and I apologised in a sincere manner,\u201d added Rubiales.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very happy, I felt like another player. I have apologised unreservedly, that is not the actions of the president of the association.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBecause a president can\u2019t behave that way towards the executives at the game on the podium, yes, a president can give a hug, but needs to act in a more diplomatic and colder way.\u201d<\/p>\n
:: Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored, Monday to Thursday on TalkTV at 8pm. Available on Sky 522, Sky Glass 508, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237 and Freesat 217 as well as on DAB, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV Plus, YouTube, the Talk.TV website and TalkTV iOS and Android apps.<\/p>\n