Former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales had eggs thrown at him, allegedly by his own uncle, at a book launch in Madrid.
Rubiales, 48, was presenting his new book “Matar a Rubiales”, translated to “Killing Rubiales”, at the Espacio Eventize media room in the Spanish capital when a man in the audience began hurling eggs.
The first missed its target and hit the wall, but then the second struck the back of the Spaniard which resulted in him Rubiales charging into the audience to confront the aggressor, which he claims turned out to be a family member.
“It was my uncle, my blood uncle, who is a troublemaker and always has been,” Rubiales told Radio Marca.
“He came in with some eggs and threw them at me, but I didn’t know what he had in his hands, and when I saw him burst in, I thought he was carrying a gun.”
The aggressor has since been arrested by Spanish police, who have not yet confirmed the family connection.
“We were lucky that they stopped me,” Rubiales added. “I didn’t know what this man had in his hand, I didn’t know if he had a weapon.
“I saw a pregnant woman, who is my friend Paco’s wife, with two small children, right where he was standing with something in his hand, and I thought about the children.
“If I had grabbed him, we would be in a different situation.”
Rubiales was at the heart of a scandal in the fallout of Spain’s 2023 Women’s World Cup triumph, which saw him kiss forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent in the victory celebrations in Sydney.
In February, Spain’s High Court found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault and was slapped with a three-year ban from Fifa, as well as being fined €10,800 (£9,206).
The incident caused a nationwide furore about sexism in Spanish society and women’s football, fuelling momentum for the “Me Too” movement in the country.
Rubiales has continually pled his innocence after showing resistance to admit wrongdoing and step down from his position in the Spanish FA, hence releasing this book to detail the scandal from his own perspective.
