Luis Rubiales: "A criminal? Look at me. I'm a good person"

Luis Rubiales spoke for an hour about the 21 days that convulsed Spanish football. He did so with Piers Morgan, famous in the United Kingdom for his attacks against the feminist movement, in an interview, broadcast yesterday, where he reiterated his “humility to ask for forgiveness sincerely” and his commitment to dedicate himself to his defense “of the “cleanest possible”. When at one point in the talk, the British journalist asked him directly if Jenni Hermoso had lied, Rubiales opted for evasion.. “I'm not going to answer”.

Morgan started with the hottest topic, the kiss with Hermoso. «It is evident that I was wrong and I said it from the beginning. Jenni took me in the air and when we got off we were very excited. There was no intention or sexual connotation, only appreciation. “It was a simple mutual act of happiness and fusion,” explained Rubiales, who took his first steps with the Englishman in the summer of 2009, during his brief stage at Hamilton Academy, in the Scottish Premiership.. Then, he launched his first salvo: “Many people have dedicated themselves to distorting and the truth has not reached everyone.”. “I don't respect those who misrepresent.”

Next, the former president of the RFEF lowered several tones by admitting that he was “really embarrassed” by his celebration in the box, with his hands on his testicles, a few meters from Queen Letizia and Infanta Sofía: “There are no excuses”. He even dared to explain to the Anglo-Saxon audience that this Olé your…. “It was directed” to former coach Jorge Vilda. “God forbid I comment on things about the Monarchy, but the entire Royal Family knows me,” he said before confirming that he had not yet had the opportunity to apologize to the Queen.

“She was praying for me”

True to his style, Morgan boldly went for the heartstrings. The one that vibrates in Rubiales when they lie to their daughters and their mother. “Yesterday I was with her in Motril and I brought her the ice cream that she likes,” he confessed about someone who had been on hunger strike for several days.. When he insisted on the possibility of a fatal outcome, the former Levante footballer revealed the health problems typical of a 72-year-old woman, such as hypertension. “I was very scared, but she was praying for me,” he concluded.

In another calculatedly emotional moment, the former editor of the Daily Mirror and News of The World tabloids asked if he had thought about going to jail. And Rubiales' response seemed up to the mark: “I remain confident that the whole truth will come to light.”. A criminal? Look at me. I'm a good person”. What he did not seem willing to forgive was the disloyalty of someone on the technical staff.. «He wrote to me gratefully and a couple of days later he signed the manifesto calling me a sexist.. “I will take these WhatsApp messages to court,” he said.

In the United Kingdom, the interview was broadcast by the TalkTV network, owned by tycoon Rupert Murdoch, whose poor audience records have multiplied rumors about its closure in recent weeks.. So one of Morgan's goals was to make sure the show didn't decline.. To do this, he turned again to Jenni Hermoso. Rubiales “categorically” denied having pressured the Pachuca midfielder in that video broadcast during the return flight in Doha. Of course, when Morgan offered the possibility of a future apology in person with Hermoso, the former president of the RFEF was not at all conclusive.. «I have to defend my dignity with arguments. From the beginning I have maintained the same version and now I can only maintain it.

“A president cannot behave like that”

Morgan, who last November had achieved another exclusive interview in which Cristiano Ronaldo would settle accounts with the leaders of Manchester United, adjusted to his controversial profile during the conversation. In fact, he almost reprimanded the protagonist for so much apology.. However, Rubiales reiterated that his “behavior as president was not appropriate, although it was effusive and the result of emotion.”. “A president cannot behave like that in the box and can give a hug, although in a more diplomatic way,” he said.

Finally, the former presenter of Good Morning Britain, on the ITV network, from whom he was fired for his merciless attacks against Meghan Markle, got those two minutes, already leaked on Monday, where Rubiales confirmed his resignation. Rubiales spoke about the “media tsunami”, his love for Spain and the race for the 2030 World Cup. «I have had to endure a lot during these three weeks. “This decision can affect many people and it's not just about me.”. He also referred to his future projects. «I am young and I just want to be healthy and be with my family…