Two years ago, Rubiales left the Spanish Football Association after kissing Hermoso. Now, his new book, "Killing Rubiales," is about to be released, detailing his personal version of events after losing his legal battle with Hermoso. Recently, Rubiales talked about the incident in an interview with Spanish Channel 6.
"I didn't apologize to Hermoso, I asked her before we kissed and she said yes. We both knew what she said wasn't true. I wouldn't change my first testimony, but she did. I asked her permission and she said yes. It was a full An emotional kiss, without any sexual implications. Hermoso is a good friend of mine, and this kiss happened after the penalty shootout. She helped us a lot in the rebuilding process. "
He believes that politics is the culprit. "I'm not saying that Hermoso was manipulated. But what I saw was an immediate move by the far left in Spain, who had clear interests. They targeted me at a time when Pedro Sánchez needed support to get the presidency, and it was a smokescreen to make a deal with the independence faction." He insists he has more video evidence to support his claims, but cannot access this information because he left the Football Association. "My daughter showed me what was going on on the plane. When I came back to Spain I found a perfect storm of attacks on me by the media, which received a lot of money from La Liga and also supported the election of Pedro Sanchez... The far left attacked me," he reiterated.
As time passed, almost no one stood on his side. “I learned that some people will stick with you and some people will run away,” Rubiales said. When asked about Luis de la Fuente, who he had publicly supported at a press conference, he said: "He should be judged on his status as national team coach."