Rubiales resigns as Spain's soccer president 3 weeks after kissing player at Women's World Cup final

Luis Rubiales, the suspended head of the Spanish soccer federation, finally folded under immense pressure Sunday and resigned three weeks after his kiss of a player on the lips overshadowed Spain's first-ever Women's World Cup title.

Luis Rubiales, the suspended head of the Spanish soccer federation, finally folded under immense pressure Sunday and resigned three weeks after his kiss of a player on the lips overshadowed Spain's first-ever Women's World Cup title.

Rubiales had been at the center of a controversy that had gone far beyond Spain's borders and the world of sport after he kissed Jenni Hermoso during the globally televised awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title on Aug. 20 in Sydney, Australia. The player said the kiss was without her consent.

"After my swift suspension by FIFA, and the rest of the cases building against me, it is clear that I cannot return to the post," Rubiales said on Sunday in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He had already been temporarily suspended from his job by FIFA for his conduct at the final and, after soccer's world body opened a disciplinary case, remained defiant and hostile toward those who criticized him.

Then came the most serious threat yet to Rubiales, when Spanish state prosecutors accused him on Friday of sexual assault and coercion after the kiss, two days after Hermoso formally accused him of sexual assault.

Once the most powerful man in Spanish soccer, Rubiales insisted the kiss was consensual and done in a "moment of jubilation." He said it was like one "I could give one of my daughters."

Hermoso denied that claim in statements issued by her and her players' union. The player also said she and her family were pressured by the federation to show her support for Rubiales. Fans, players and politicians publicly disagreed with Rubiales and saw it as a sexist act and the abuse of authority.