THE LOCAL council in the town of Motril has taken the first steps toward stripping disgraced former football chief Luis Rubiales of the ‘gold medal’ that it awarded him as a former resident of the Granada locality.
Councillors unanimously voted in favour this week of beginning an investigation led by its Honours and Distinctions Commission into the case, according to a report in Andalucia Informacion.
The move was instigated by the leftist IU Equo group in the local council, which filed a motion to strip Rubiales of the Gold Medal of the City that he had been awarded for his achievements within the world of sport.
Rubiales was born in the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, but grew up in Motril. His father was once the mayor of the Andalusian municipality.
In September, Rubiales finally bowed to pressure and resigned from his role as the chairman of the Spanish Football Federation. He did so in the wake of his controversial kiss on the mouth of player Jenni Hermoso after the Spain women’s team won the World Cup in Sydney on August 20.
Rubiales was not only suspended by world football authority Fifa for his behaviour, but is also now facing a criminal trial in the national High Court for the kiss itself and also allegations of coercion. He is alleged by the public prosecutor to have pressured Hermoso and those close to her to come out in his defence after the seemingly forcible kiss.
Hermoso has always claimed that the kiss was not consensual, something that Rubiales has strenuously denied since the controversy broke out.
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