Category: Spain

Inter Miami defender Alba retires from Spain national team

The defender earned 92 caps and scored nine goals over a 12-year international career

Inter Miami left back Jordi Alba has announced his retirement from the Spain national team.

Alba, who joined his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi with Inter Miami this summer, bows out after winning the UEFA Nations League this June in what would be his final Spain appearance.

Overall, the 34-year-old earned 92 caps and scored nine goals after making his senior international debut in October 2011. Alba played in three World Cups, three European Championships, the London Olympics and a Confederations Cup.

In addition to this year’s Nations League, Alba was also a part of Spain’s Euro 2012-winning squad, with the defender scoring in a 4-0 final victory over Italy.

Alba has made eight appearances for Inter Miami since signing in July, scoring one goal and adding two assists.

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Spain men’s head coach apologizes for applauding Rubiales speech

Luis de la Fuente is sorry for applauding, but said he would not resign

Spain men’s national team head coach Luis de la Fuente has apologized after he was seen applauding last week’s defiant speech by embattled Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales was reported to be on the verge of resigning over his kiss on the lips of Spain star Jenni Hermoso after the World Cup final — an act Hermoso has insisted was not consensual.

Instead, the RFEF president delivered a diatribe in which he insisted he wouldn’t resign, called out “false feminists” who opposed him and declared that Hermoso had consented to the kiss, among many other talking points.

As Rubiales went on, he was applauded by a host of Spanish officials in the crowd, including de la Fuente and Spain’s women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda.

Amid heavy criticism, de la Fuente has offered an apology for his seeming endorsement of Rubiales’s speech though, much like Rubiales himself, the Spain men’s coach has insisted he will not resign.

“I have been criticized harshly for it. I believe that criticism was deserved, I understand it and I apologize,” de la Fuente said at a press conference on Friday after he named his roster for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Georgia and Cyprus.

“I don’t think I have to resign. I don’t have to resign, I have to ask for forgiveness,” he added. “Right now, if I could go back, I wouldn’t [applaud], I’m sure of it. I’ve made reference to it before: I’m on the side of equality and respect.”

Rubiales has been handed a provisional 90-day suspension by FIFA, and the entire Spain women’s national team has gone on strike until he is ousted.

De la Fuente added that he has not yet reached out to Hermoso.

“She is going through a difficult moment,” the coach said, then added: “Perhaps I lacked courage [to reach out to her].”

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Wiegman dedicates UEFA Coach of the Year award to Spain women’s national team

Wiegman: Spain ‘deserves to be celebrated, and deserves to be listened to’

Sarina Wiegman won the 2023 UEFA Coach of the Year award, but chose to use the big stage to acknowledge a team that defeated her.

In a speech at a UEFA gala that doubled as both an awards ceremony and the Champions League draw, Wiegman dedicated her award to the players of Spain’s World Cup champions.

England fell 1-0 to Spain in the World Cup final, but for Wiegman, the broader issues that came immediately after that game were top of mind.

After thanking her coaching colleagues, players, and support staff with England, Wiegman turned the attention towards Spain’s players. The squad has been on strike since Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales, who among other things kissed attacker Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the World Cup’s medal ceremony, refused to step down. Hermoso has maintained that the kiss was not consensual.

“We all know the issues around the Spanish team, and it really hurts me as a coach as a mother of two daughters as a wife and as a human being,” said Wiegman at Thursday’s event. “The game has grown so much, but there’s also still a long way to go [in] women’s football and in society.

“I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team, the team that played in the World Cup, such great football that everyone enjoyed. This team deserves to be celebrated, and deserves to be listened to,” added Wiegman before starting a round of applause.

Spain midfielder and World Cup Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmatí, who received the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award at the same event, called out “abuses of power” throughout the women’s game and in society in general.

“These are not very good times for Spanish football,” said Bonmatí. “We come from winning the World Cup, but not much is being said about it, because there are things happening and I would not like to let these things go by unnoticed.

“I would like to comment something on what has happened. I think as a society, we must not allow abuses of power in the workplace nor displays of disrespect. To all the women who have been subject to what has happened to Jenni, we stand with you. And I hope we continue working so that this society gets better.”

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Luis Rubiales’s mother would like some food now, thanks

Ángeles Béjar has ended her hunger strike after nearly three days

After a brief trip to the hospital, Ángeles Béjar has ended her hunger strike in support of her embattled son, Spanish federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales.

Béjar declared a hunger strike on Monday, saying she would stay inside the Divina Pastora church in Motril, Spain until the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt which my son is being subjected to” came to an end.

Rubiales remains under intense pressure after kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips following the World Cup final, an act Hermoso insisted was not consensual.

Despite increasing calls for his resignation, Rubiales has insisted he will stay in his post, even after a provisional 90-day suspension by FIFA and the entire Spain women’s national team going on strike until he is ousted.

Amid the firestorm surrounding her son, Béjar locked herself inside the Divina Pastora church until Wednesday when, according to a priest at the church identifying himself as Father Antonio, she began to feel “anguished and dizzy.”

“I need to tell you that she has had a crisis, she has worsened and they needed to take her urgently to the hospital,” Father Antonio told reporters outside the church around 6:15 p.m.

“So she’s not here anymore, she had to leave for the hospital because the woman was already tired and had lots of issues already, even some anemic issues so she had to leave.”

According to EFE and the Europa Press, Béjar was treated at the hospital until she was released at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening. Both outlets reported that Béjar had ended her hunger strike.

EFE added that Béjar “is progressing favorably as she has responded satisfactorily to the treatment.”

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Rubiales saga take bizarre turn as Spain federation president’s mother goes on hunger strike

The ongoing saga of the Spanish federation president has taken a turn for the bizarre

The ongoing saga of Spanish federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales has taken a turn for the bizarre, as his mother has locked herself inside a church and declared a hunger strike.

Ángeles Béjar has said she will stay inside the Divina Pastora church in Motril, Spain, until justice for her embattled son is served.

Rubiales is under fire for kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips in the aftermath of Spain’s World Cup triumph — an act Hermoso has insisted was not consensual.

The RFEF president, however, continues to say that Hermoso did consent and in a fiery speech on Friday, said he would not resign despite increasing pressure to do so.

Speaking to EFE, Béjar decried the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt which my son is being subjected to” and said that “there is no sexual abuse when there is consent on both sides, as shown in the images.”

Béjar’s claims echo those from a bizarre RFEF statement released on Friday night, which analyzed the interaction between Rubiales and Hermoso in excruciatingly detailed fashion, coming to the conclusion that Hermoso was lying when she said the president’s kiss was not consensual.

Rubiales’s cousin Vanessa Ruiz said that Béjar is “a very religious person who has gone on hunger strike and does not want to leave the church,” adding that she has “health problems and is suffering a lot.”

On Saturday, FIFA announced that its Disciplinary Committee had provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days amid an ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, Spain’s entire World Cup-winning squad has said they’re on strike until the “current leaders” are no longer in power.

“[Rubiales] is a beautiful person, with a very good heart and very noble, whoever knows him knows it,” Ruiz added. “We think what they are doing with him is very unfair.”

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FIFA hands Spanish federation president Rubiales 90-day suspension

He might not resign, but Rubiales is still sidelined

Luis Rubiales may not want to go, but he’s going to have to sit things out for a few months.

On Saturday, FIFA announced that its Disciplinary Committee had provisionally suspended the controversial Spanish federation (RFEF) president for 90 days while working through proceedings against him.

Rubiales is suspended “from all football-related activities at national and international level,” and has additionally been ordered to make no attempts himself or through third parties to contact Jenni Hermoso or those close to her. The RFEF has also, as an organization, been given the same directive while the disciplinary proceedings take place.

Rubiales had been reportedly on the brink of resigning Friday after coming under intense criticism for, among other things, kissing Hermoso as Spain received their medals following a triumphant World Cup final. Hermoso has issued a statement saying that she did not consent to the kiss at any point.

Instead, Rubiales launched into a defiant speech in which he said he would not resign numerous times. Whatever Rubiales’ aim was, the result was that Spain’s entire World Cup-winning squad said they’re on strike until the “current leaders” are no longer in power.

RFEF situation continues to unravel

Anyone expecting the RFEF to accept that the situation requires change on its part has not been paying attention. The federation backed manager Jorge Vilda after 15 players attempted a strike in 2022, and took to social media to reiterate that stance after the World Cup final.

An RFEF statement that was released and then quickly deleted on Saturday said that “Jennifer Hermoso lies in every statement she makes against the president,” and went on to threaten to take legal action against the Pachuca attacker.

The consequences for the RFEF continued not long afterward, as 11 members of Vilda’s staff resigned from their roles over Rubiales’ conduct.

— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) August 26, 2023

The RFEF later posted a more brief statement acknowledging Rubiales’ suspension, adding that the federation head “will legally defend himself in the competent bodies.”

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Spanish federation, for some reason, launches bizarre defense of Luis Rubiales

The RFEF is going to keep digging

When you find yourself in a hole, the Spanish soccer federation’s advice is to just keep digging.

That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn from an extraordinary public statement published by the federation (RFEF) after midnight on Saturday in Spain, which purported to defend its president, Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales has come under intense criticism for his actions following Spain’s World Cup final victory, which include kissing attacker Jenni Hermoso on the lips — an act Hermoso has called non-consensual in public statements — calling the team together to announce that he would marry Hermoso in Ibiza, and grabbing at his nether regions while celebrating at full time.

“The RFEF announces the presentation of as many legal actions as may correspond in defense of the honorability of the President of the RFEF who has exposed in a clear and simple way how the events that are the cause of conflict and ridicule on the part of broad sectors of the society occurred against [Rubiales],” read the RFEF statement.

Going much further than this, the statement then claimed “that the facts exposed by Mr. President are absolutely true and that he is not lying,” offering as proof a four-photo slideshow claiming to prove that Hermoso lifted the (much larger) Rubiales, and that this lift exonerated the federation head.

This allegation comes despite video from the trophy ceremony showing Rubiales, very much with his feet on the stage throughout an overly long hug that ended with a kiss that Hermoso called “an act without any consent on my part” in a social media post of her own.

Rubiales was criticized most pointedly for the kiss, eventually offering a tepid apology. The reaction grew louder, with the acting prime minister and second deputy prime minister among the voices calling for a more thorough apology or Rubiales’ resignation.

While he was reportedly on the verge of doing so, and just one day after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him, Rubiales instead chose to lash out at his critics, declaring that he would not resign at an RFEF meeting. In a particularly grim coda, this declaration was met with a round of applause from the heavily male officials and observers present.

If these do not sound like the appropriate actions for a federation president to you, that’s probably because you are anyone but the decision-makers at the RFEF.

RFEF defiant in face of criticism

Since then, the condemnation from around the soccer world has grown into a deafening roar. Spain’s players — you know, the ones that literally just won the World Cup — signed a collective letter saying that none of them would play for the federation until “sporting and structural changes” were implemented. Spain men’s forward Borja Iglesias said he, too, would refuse call-ups as long as Rubiales is in place. Multiple Spanish clubs called for Rubiales to go, as did star players from around the soccer and sporting world.

Unfortunately, those expecting the quick and obvious resolution that would be Rubiales’ dismissal are probably not going to get what they want. The RFEF is nothing if not utterly defiant, much in the manner that it offered a pro-Jorge Vilda post to social media moments after the end of the final, and in its handling of 15 Spain players calling for Vilda’s ouster and other changes late in 2022.

Perhaps the most telling scene amid all of this is that applause Rubiales got when loudly and repeatedly going on about how he wouldn’t resign. Vilda and Spain men’s head coach Luis de la Fuente — both Spanish federation lifers who have not held coaching positions anywhere outside of the country’s youth national team programs in over a decade — were shown on camera joining that applause, choosing fealty to a powerful functionary over simple human respect and decency.

If the RFEF had enough voices in-house calling for Rubiales to go, he’d be gone. A man like him will be a problem in a position of power, but only as long as he’s given support and protection from those like him.

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World Cup champion Spain on strike after Rubiales refuses to step down

Jenni Hermoso has also rejected a claim from the federation president that his kiss was consensual

The entire Spain roster that won the 2023 World Cup said in a joint statement that they will not play for the national team as long as “current leaders” continue in their positions.

The letter, released through the Spanish players’ union FUTPRO, was issued as a response to an extraordinary speech given by Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales earlier on Friday, during which he refused to resign despite widespread reports he would do so.

Rubiales has been under huge pressure after his kiss on the lips of Spain star Jenni Hermoso following Sunday’s World Cup final.

In his speech on Friday, Rubiales insisted that Hermoso had consented to the kiss. But in the letter from FUTPRO, Hermoso flatly denied having done so.

“I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to lift up the president. I do not tolerate my word being questioned, much less words that I haven’t said be made up,” Hermoso said.

A total of 81 players from Spain’s past and present signed the letter, including all 23 on the World Cup roster.

It was unclear if the Spanish players were calling for the ouster of anyone other than Rubiales. The team’s issues with the RFEF long predate the incident between Rubiales and Hermoso, with 15 players going on strike last fall to protest poor working conditions and the methods of head coach Jorge Vilda.

The RFEF, led by Rubiales, backed Vilda, who stayed in charge through the World Cup. Of the 15 players who initially revolted last fall, only three returned to the World Cup roster.

Full letter from Spain women’s national team

As a result of the events that took place this morning and given the perplexity of the speech delivered by the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Mr. Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar, the players of the senior team, recent world champions, in support of Jennifer Hermoso, want to express their firm and resounding condemnation of behaviors that have violated the dignity of women.

In view of the statements made by the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Jennifer Hermoso wants to flatly deny that she consented to the kiss that Don Luis Manuel Rubiales Béjar gave her in the World Cup Final. 

“I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to lift up the president. I do not tolerate my word being questioned, much less words that I haven’t said be made up,” says Hermoso.

From our union we want to emphasize that no woman should feel the need to respond to the forceful images that the whole world has seen and of course, they should not be involved in non-consensual attitudes.

The players of the Spanish national team, current world champions, expect forceful answers from the public powers so that actions such as those contained do not go unpunished.

We want to end this statement, asking for real changes, both sporting and structural, that help the national team to continue growing, in order to transfer this great success to later generations. It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event is managing to tarnish the greatest sporting success of Spanish women’s football.

After everything that happened during the Women’s World Cup, we want to state that all the players who sign this letter will not return a call for the national team if the current leaders continue.

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NBA offseason winners and losers; EuroBasket stars who can join NBA

HoopsHype’s winners and losers of the 2022 NBA offseason and potential overseas players to monitor following the EuroBasket tournament.

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Yossi Gozlan, and Dionysis Aravantinos discuss the winners and losers of the 2022 NBA offseason and react to the end of the EuroBasket Tournament with potential overseas players to monitor on the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast.

For more interviews with players, coaches, and media members, be sure to like and subscribe to the HoopsHype podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Listen to the podcast above or check out some snippets of the conversation in a transcribed version below.