Luis de la Fuente: Spain men's head coach asks for 'forgiveness' for applauding Luis Rubiales

Luis de la Fuente (right) was appointed Spain men's caput manager successful December 2022

The caput manager of Spain's men's squad has asked for "forgiveness" aft applauding the code successful which Luis Rubiales said helium would not resign for kissing subordinate Jenni Hermoso.

Rubiales, president of Spain's shot federation, kissed Hermoso connected the lips aft their Women's World Cup win.

Hermoso said the buss during the medal ceremonial was not consensual.

• Read: The buss that shook Spanish & planetary football

In a code past Friday, Rubiales - who has since been suspended by Fifa - refused to measurement down and said helium was facing a "social assassination".

De La Fuente and women's caput manager Jorge Vilda were among those pictured applauding the speech, though some aboriginal released statements condemning Rubiales' behaviour.

Speaking astatine a quality league connected Friday, De La Fuente said: "Almost each of america RFEF (Spanish shot federation) workers went successful determination reasoning that we were going to spot the dismissal of a president and we recovered thing wholly different. It was not casual to digest. It was a concern that overwhelmed me.

"I person not felt betrayed by Luis Rubiales, but I arrived reasoning that it was going to beryllium a resignation gathering and we were shocked erstwhile we saw that it was not this way.

"I don't person to resign, I person to inquire for forgiveness. I made a mistake, an inexcusable quality error. If I could spell backmost I wouldn't perpetrate that enactment again.

"I americium connected the broadside of equality and respect. We each person to amended successful presumption of equality and I americium the first."

After Rubiales' suspension by Fifa, Spanish prosecutors opened a preliminary probe into whether the incidental amounts to a transgression of intersexual assault.

Spain's Sports Tribunal (TAD) met connected Monday to sermon the Spanish government's petition to suspend Rubiales. The announcement connected a determination has been expected imminently for immoderate time.

Speaking anterior to announcing his squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers, De La Fuente said helium did not fearfulness losing the respect of his players.

Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias, who won the 2nd of his 2 caps for Spain successful March, made himself unavailable for enactment "until things change".

"I'm not acrophobic of losing the spot of the dressing country due to the fact that of everything that has happened implicit the past fewer days," said De La Fuente.

"They person known maine since they were precise young, they cognize what values I have. I person ever behaved wrong the model of maximum respect for equality."

On Iglesias, helium said "the doors are open" for the 30-year-old to instrumentality to the squad erstwhile helium is ready.