Disgraced Spanish Football Association chief Luis Rubiales has insisted he kissed Jennifer Hermoso in the way he would kiss one of his daughters.
Rubiales has been at the centre of a storm of controversy since he kissed Hermoso on the lips after Spain won the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney last month.
The 46-year-old has faced calls to resign after the incident, with protests against his presidency taking place across Spain and high-profile figures across the world of football and beyond calling for him to step down.
FIFA handed him an initial 90-day suspension, and are pushing to ban him for longer, and the Spanish FA publicly apologised for his behaviour.
Rubiales eventually announced on Monday that he would resign from his role, but in an interview with Piers Morgan, which will air on Tuesday night, he steadfastly maintained he meant no harm by kissing Hermoso.
‘There was no harm, no sexual content, no aggression, nothing like that,’ Rubiales told Piers Morgan Uncensored.
‘The significance of the kiss to Jenni would have been exactly the same as a kiss to one of my daughters.
‘Between friends and family, that’s very, very common.’
He added: ‘Under no circumstance was there any aggression and under no circumstance was there any sexual content.
‘I want to say that, Piers, again, I made a mistake, I apologise, but let’s be clear, under no circumstance is this sexual aggression.’
Rubiales described the kiss as ‘a very happy moment, a celebration, a euphoric moment’, but concedes he ‘should have acted in a more solemn, cold and diplomatic way.’
