Shamed ex-Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales ‘risks arrest by flying back to Spain’ amid Saudi Arabia Super Cup corruption probe… as he breaks silence on Jenni Hermoso kiss which could land him two years in jail

Luis Rubiales will reportedly return to Spain on Wednesday despite the risk of arrest as part of a police investigation into corruption at the Spanish Football Federation.

Authorities are investigating a multimillion-euro deal to move the Spanish Super Cup tournament to Saudi Arabia and last month raided the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation and an apartment belonging to ex-president Rubiales.

An investigation has been ongoing since June 2022 into whether Rubiales committed a crime of improper management when the Spanish Football Federation agreed with ex-Barcelona player Gerard Pique’s Kosmos firm to move the tournament.

Marca reported that Rubiales was seen at the airport in the Dominican Republic, where he lived for two months, waiting for a flight to Spain. Rubiales could be arrested if he lands, they said.

Prosecutors are calling for a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales after he kissed Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso against her will following their victory at the Women’s World Cup last August.

A Spanish court has investigated Rubiales (L) over the 2019 decision to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia

Police searched the apartment of former FA president Rubiales last month

Rubiales, 46, is accused of assault and coercion after he grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the mouth during the trophy presentation after Spain’s victory over England.

Rubiales has resigned as president of the Spanish Football Federation but has denied all wrongdoing.

He broke his silence on the matter in an interview in the Dominican Republic with Spanish channel La Sexta, in which he said: “I think Jenni’s way of qualifying my words was manipulative.”

He has also denied all allegations in the corruption case.

Rubiales angers Spanish football traditionalists by expanding the annual Super Cup match between the LaLiga champions and the Copa del Rey winners to a four-team format, shifting it from August to January, and moving it outside Spain .

The Spanish FA (RFEF) agreed a three-year deal worth a reported €120 million ($131 million) with the Saudi Sports Authority in 2019 to host the tournament there.

The RFEF base in Madrid and Rubiales’ apartment in Granada were searched at the end of March as part of the investigation led by Judge Delia Rodrigo Diaz.

Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips without her consent after Spain’s World Cup success

Prosecutors in Spain urge Rubiales to get 2.5 years in prison over ‘Kissgate’

The national prosecutor’s office said the investigation focused on corporate corruption, improper asset management and money laundering.

Police carried out a total of 11 searches at unspecified locations across Spain linked to the case, and the public prosecutor’s office said at the time that it expected seven people to be arrested.

While the Guardia Civil and undercover officers searched the football federation’s offices, the Spanish national team was training on the adjacent field.

Rubiales was not home when officers searched his apartment, with Marca saying he had been in the Caribbean for two months.

Spanish international footballer Hermoso imagined himself in court in Madrid in January

Last week, prosecutors in the ‘Kissgate’ case said they were seeking a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault and a separate prison term of one year and six months for coercion in connection with his alleged attempts to get Hermoso to speak out in his defense from him. .

They also want him to pay Hermoso €100,000 (£85,000) in damages if he is convicted at trial.

Madrid-based judge Francisco de Jorge cleared the way for Rubiales’ trial earlier this year after recommending he be placed in the dock.

He said his long-running investigation had produced “hard evidence” pointing to the possible illegality of the kiss.