The story behind Luis Rubiales' U-turn... heat of the moment or a strategy?

The most surprising day of Luis Rubiales' presidency at the Spanish Football Federation dawned with his decision to resign, as he had confessed to his team the previous evening. The events began early at the country's 'Football City' premises outside Madrid, where the press crowded around, seeking comments from the assembly members as they approached the entrance. Capitalizing on the attention drawn by Rafael Lozán, the head of the Galician Federation, who engaged with the media on his arrival, Luis Rubiales slipped into the premises in his car, away from the spotlight, a few minutes past ten in the morning.

Amidst solemn faces and few words before the microphones, the assembly members engaged in discreet discussions once the cameras were turned off. They all entered the premises to witness a historic assembly – one that marked Rubiales' resignation under the weight of social, political, and sporting pressure, stemming from the incident involving a kiss to Jenni Hermoso and obscene gestures in the Sydney box. By mid-afternoon on Thursday, news had broken of his imminent resignation, confirmed by Federation sources to the media, corroborated by reports from the third floor offices at Las Rozas.

Tense Meeting with Regional Leaders

The meeting with the presidents of the regional football federations at 10:30 was tense, as some of them sought explanations and reprimanded Rubiales for his conduct. Rubiales faced strong opposition from Navarre and the Canary Islands. Even the Basque Country did not attend. To the surprise of all, Rubiales asked them if he had their support – a query that puzzled the presidents, who went to bed with the information of Rubiales' imminent resignation at the assembly.

Furthermore, Rubiales made another significant decision by dismissing all vice presidents except Pedro Rocha, the head of the Extremadura Federation. Rocha, a person of his trust and known for his continuity-focused approach, was chosen by Rubiales to oversee the Federation in anticipation of Rubiales' impending suspension by the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD) following the request of the Higher Sports Council (CSD). This abrupt action saw the removal of Bestard, Suárez, Del Amo, Soteras, Martínez, Gomar, Andrés, and Lozano. Among them, Lozano, with a political history in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), had been positioning himself to succeed Rubiales in a caretaker role.

Another of them, Rafael del Amo, president of the Navarre Football Federation and the National Women's Football Committee, a position he resigned from, was the only vice president who explicitly requested Rubiales' resignation. Del Amo also confirmed upon leaving that Rubiales had already prepared his resignation until he took the stage.

However, as the assembly's commencement drew near, the atmosphere began to shift. Rubiales had a change of heart. "He changed his tune, I'm not sure if it was due to the heat of seeing all the media outlets reporting his departure, or if it was part of a strategy – which would surprise me greatly," confessed an assembly member to El Periódico de España, a publication within the Prensa Ibérica group. This unexpected turn of events left many surprised.

Filling the Assembly Hall with Federation Staff

Before the assembly, with the intention of retaining his position, Rubiales employed a final strategy prior to entering the hall where the assembly was to take place. He encouraged Federation employees to join the assembly to fill the room. Only 75 out of the 140 assembly members were present, and the president aimed to mask this shortfall. The televised shots of the Federation's hall, from which the press was barred, depicted a much larger crowd than the 75 assembly members who attended, making way for the assembly to proceed.

Rubiales took the podium without the Federation tie, a detail not insignificant for the meticulous leader. Then, the unexpected occurred. The Andalusian surprised everyone with a speech that shifted blame onto the victim of his actions – the player Jennifer Hermoso. What was even more astonishing was his announcement that he was retracting his resignation. He stated it five times: "I will not resign." This took the loyal assembly members and Federation staff by surprise, who applauded with forced enthusiasm, as Luis de la Fuente and Jorge Vilda sat in the front row, just as astounded as the rest.

Calculated Maneuver

As the conclusion neared, the regional federation presidents and other assembly members hastily left the scene. By 1:30 PM, Medina Cantalejo, accompanied by two referees, crossed the Atocha station lobby on his way out of Madrid. Among the more critical assembly members, a hypothesis gained traction – that the sudden U-turn was not coincidental but part of a perfectly orchestrated plan by Rubiales.

He thus calculated the timing and the consequences of a potential temporary suspension, leaving Rocha, his right-hand man and most loyal vice president, in charge to manage the Federation's affairs from behind the scenes. He intended to resume his position once the TAD's verdict is in his favor, as he believes will be the case. This was clear in his speech: "I hope justice will prevail. This is the truth of what happened. These are my explanations."

At 12:24 PM on Friday, August 25, Rubiales uttered the sentence that turned everything upside down: "I will not resign." This announcement stirred both surprise and indignation in equal measure. The anticipated resignation transformed into a forward escape, the nature of which remains to be seen – whether it resulted from a momentary outburst or was part of a calculated strategy that Rubiales hadn't even shared with his closest collaborators. The game is on...