Sports
Ex-Spain Football Boss In Court Over World Cup Kiss Scandal
Five days after resigning as Spain’s football chief, Luis Rubiales is due in court Friday on sexual assault charges over forcibly kissing women’s World Cup player Jenni Hermoso.
The 46-year-old has been summoned to Madrid’s Audiencia Nacional court at midday (1000 GMT) where he will appear before Judge Francisco de Jorge who is heading up the investigation.
At the hearing, which will be closed to the public, Rubiales will be questioned as a defendant in regards to allegations of “sexual assault”, a court statement said earlier this week.
Hermoso will also be called to testify at a later date.
The case comes barely four weeks after Rubiales sparked outrage when he forcibly kissed the midfielder in front of the world’s media after Spain defeated England in the final on August 20.
Rubiales, who was head of Spain’s RFEF football federation at the time, has repeatedly insisted the kiss was consensual.
Hermoso has said it was not and that it left her feeling like the “victim of an assault”.
De Jorge on Monday admitted a complaint against Rubiales filed the previous week by the public prosecutors’ office, citing alleged “offences of sexual assault” and “coercion”.
Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a category which groups all types of sexual violence.
If found guilty, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.
In their complaint, prosecutors said they had included the offence of coercion because of Hermoso’s statement in which she said “she and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Rubiales and his professional entourage to justify and condone” his actions.
The global furore over the incident all but eclipsed the victory celebrations for Spain’s World Cup champions.
‘100% Non Sexual’
After three weeks of refusing to resign over the kiss, Rubiales, who was suspended by FIFA on August 26, stood down late on Sunday but continued to insist the kiss was consensual in a TV interview with Britain’s Piers Morgan.
“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,” he said, describing the kiss as “100 percent non-sexual”.
The hearing comes with new coach Montse Tome, the first woman to lead the team, set to announce her squad on Friday for UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland on 22 and 26 September.
Her first job will be to try and convince the 23 world champions to don the red jersey again after they and dozens of others said they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.
The players have not yet said what they will do following Rubiales’ resignation although the situation has changed since the RFEF sacked their controversial coach Jorge Vilda, named Tome in his stead and pledged further internal reforms.
“We have had discussions.. I don’t think there will be any problem,” Rafael del Amo, head of the RFEF’s women’s football committee told Cope radio on Tuesday.
“I think things will move forward.”
AFP
Sports
Romero Replaces Messi As Argentina’s New Captain
With Messi’s international retirement bringing an end to a 21-year Argentina career, Romero now faces the challenge of leading a team that has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent years.
• Messi’s successor, Cristian “Cuti” Romero
Cristian “Cuti” Romero has emerged as Argentina’s new main captain following Lionel Messi’s retirement from international football, marking the beginning of a new leadership era for the world champions.
Romero, who previously served as the third-choice captain behind Messi and Nicolás Otamendi, has now been entrusted with the armband by both Argentina’s coaching staff and his fellow players.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender has long been regarded as one of the most influential voices within the Argentina dressing room, with his vocal leadership and uncompromising style making him a natural successor to Messi.
His promotion also reflects the growing importance of the defender to the national team since establishing himself as a key figure under head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Romero’s leadership credentials have previously received the backing of Messi, who praised the defender’s impact on Argentina’s defensive stability and described his contribution as “extraordinary”.
With Messi’s international retirement bringing an end to a 21-year Argentina career, Romero now faces the challenge of leading a team that has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent years.
Under Scaloni, Argentina won the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa America, with Messi at the heart of the team’s transformation from perennial underachievers to a dominant force in international football.
Sports
Messi retires from international football
I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.
•Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi waves [bye – bye to football career] as he leaves the pitch after winning the 2026 World Cup Group J football match between Argentina and Austria at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington on June 22, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Lionel Messi has officially announced his retirement from international football after winning 207 caps for Argentina.
In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Messi wrote:“It was a decision that hurt – and still hurts deep down – but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all – not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.
“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team.
I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here.”
The 39-year-old said after the death of his father, Jorge, this month that he had “quite a few doubts about whether I’m going to keep doing it for much longer”.
Messi, who made his Argentina debut in 2005, won the World Cup in 2022 and was a runner-up this summer and in 2014.He also secured two Copa América titles
Sports
NFF Crisis: NSC Names Ikpeme Acting General – Secretary., Ademola Olajire, Deputy
The appointments followed the resignations on Thursday of NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General – Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi, and several members of the federation’s Executive Committee.
[File photo] Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme
The National Sports Commission (NSC) has appointed Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme as Acting General -Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), following a major leadership shake-up in the country’s football governing body.
Ikpeme, who previously served as the NFF Deputy General – Secretary, will oversee the federation’s secretariat during the transition period, while Dr Ademola Olajire, former Director of Media and Communications, will serve as Acting Deputy General -Secretary.
The appointments followed the resignations on Thursday of NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General – Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi, and several members of the federation’s Executive Committee.
The NSC also suspended all processes initiated for the NFF Elective Congress scheduled for September 27.
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