The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has decided to remove the director of the men’s football team, Albert Luque, and the marketing director, Rubén Rivera, after learning of the request for prison for both of them from the Prosecutor’s Office for coercion of Jenni Hermoso, as the ‘Chain SER’ has advanced.
Luque and Rivera have been suspended from employment, but for now they will continue to receive their salaries while waiting for the trial to take place. The Public Ministry requests a year and a half in prison for the two, respectively, for having tried to convince the player to come out publicly to say that Rubiales’ kiss, at the medal ceremony at the final of the last World Cup, was spoiled.
First it was Rubiales who tried to convince Hermoso, from whom he asked for a public statement. In Ibiza, where Hermoso was on vacation, in addition to celebrating winning the World Cup, Rivera and Luque entered the scene, who tried to convince her to make an exculpatory video of Rubiales.
Given the refusal of the Tigres soccer player, Luque sent several WhatsApp messages to a friend of the player to express his anger. The former player suggested that Hermoso, due to his age (33 years), had little career left and that when he hung up his boots he could get him a position in the Federation.
The Public Ministry concludes by pointing out that “the situation of harassment by the accused towards Hermoso ceased when Rubiales was provisionally suspended by FIFA on August 26, 2023.” For his part, the Prosecutor’s Office requests two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, who is also being investigated for alleged illegal contracts during his tenure in the RFEF.
