De la Fuente: "The criticism is deserved, I was in shock & I didn't recognise myself"
The Spain coach has responded to condemnation for his applause of Rubiales
A Luis de la Fuente press conference has never had such a high level of expectation, not even that of his presentation as Spain's men's national team coach.
Despite the massive presence of the media, the Federation decided to "give the matter some normality" by taking the press conference to the Luis Villalonga room, the small room next to the changing rooms and the training ground.
The usual place where the internationals appear during the weeks of the national team's training camp, ruling out the main hall of the Ciudad del Fútbol, the Luis Aragonés -- where De la Fuente was presented and squads for the Women's World Cup and the Final Four of the Nations League were given.
Twenty television cameras, three times the usual number, more than thirty photographers and a lot of general and tabloid press were witnesses in a packed hall to the statement that De la Fuente read out, apologising for what had happened last week when he applauded Luis Rubiales' controversial speech.
"I would like to explain what I experienced at Friday's assembly," he said. "Given the social-political repercussions, I would like to take advantage of my space as coach to explain the situation I experienced.
"I have received criticism, which is fully deserved. I am sorry and I understand this criticism. I apologise for it. What I did is unjustifiable, but what I am trying to do is to tell the context. I was overwhelmed and I didn't know how to manage it. I don't recognise myself in the images.
"I went to an assembly convinced that we were attending a formal farewell ceremony for the president, but it turned into another situation for which we were not prepared. I didn't feel betrayed by Luis Rubiales, but we went into shock when we saw that this was not the case.
"I drew a blank. I have always been on the side of equality and respect. In my 26 years as a coach, I have always behaved impeccably. We all remember what happened in Sydney and neither Jenni (Hermoso) nor her teammates are to blame for what happened there. I would like to congratulate the players for the title."
Clapping "false feminism"
De la Fuente spoke of the scenario in which the incident took place: "I'm used to being dismissed for sporting results, not to living through these situations of pressure, of stress. I'm not going to beat myself up, I can only apologise."
And he commented on his applause for some of Rubiales' statements: "I applauded when he said that 'false feminism is a scourge,' that is true. But I think that those who know me by my actions, which is my best endorsement, know that I am in favour of equality. I think I have the right to be wrong. If I could turn back the clock, I guarantee I would not repeat the behaviour."
The coach confirmed that he has not spoken to Jenni Hermoso ("I have not contacted Jenni, who is going through a difficult time and is not to blame for it -- but I haven't contacted her") and avoided commenting on the CAS verdict on Rubiales: "I'm not a judge, let's leave it to the relevant bodies to resolve the cases and when they decide we'll see."
Not resigning
Finally, when asked by EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, part of Grupo Prensa Ibérica, whether he considered resigning at some point due to his unseemly behaviour as coach, he confirmed: "I didn't consider resigning, but I can tell you in all honesty that if I had been asked to resign at some point, I would have accepted it without any problem."
