sport news Shamed ex-Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales accuses Jenni Hermoso of 'false ... trends now
Luis Rubiales has accused Jenni Hermoso of 'false feminism' after the World Cup 'kissgate' scandal that could see him sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.
The former Spanish football federation president faces charges of sexual assault for the 'unwanted' kiss and coercion linked to his alleged attempts to get Hermoso to speak out in his defence.
Rubiales - who was arrested upon his return to Spain from the Dominican Republic on Wednesday as part of an unrelated corruption investigation - has spoken about 'kissgate' in an interview with broadcaster La Sexta.
Rubiales, 46, kissed Hermoso on the lips as she stepped up to receive her medal following Spain's victory over England in the Women's World Cup final in August last year.
'I have a clear conscience. Things have become crazy. A small thing has gone on to devour a person,' he said.
Former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has used a TV interview to accuse Jenni Hermoso of 'false feminism' as he potentially faces 2.5 years in prison for the 'kissgate' scandal
Rubiales has been charged with sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the lips after Spain won the Women's World Cup last year and for allegedly coercing her to defend him afterwards
Spain international footballer Hermoso pictured arriving at court in Madrid back in January
'I wanted to be calm and get out of the spotlight. False feminism? What I said is said.
'I defend egalitarianism. Feminism advocates supporting women to achieve equality.'
He added: 'For me there is no crime. It's my opinion. I asked her the question [over the kiss] and she said: 'Okay'.
'You can't question Hermoso. I can. Is it because I'm a man? They want to curtail freedom of thought.'
Elsewhere in the interview, broadcast on Wednesday night, Rubiales said he couldn't understand why the 'kissgate' scandal would be labelled as sexual assault.
He said: 'I cannot understand that anyone could think this was a sexual assault' before rejecting any coercion by saying: 'I only spoke 10 or 15 seconds with Miss Hermoso.'
Rubiales, who went to the Dominican Republic earlier this year for work reasons, reacted angrily to claims by interviewer Ana Pastor that his defence has involved attacking the football
