Last week, then-RFEF President Luis Rubiales, who is at the centre of a scandal after kissing Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso without consent, spoke at a meeting of the Spanish Federation, in which he passionately confirmed that he would not resign.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente was in attendance for the speech, and at its conclusion, he was seen applauding Rubiales, which sparked fury across the country.
Since then, de la Fuente has condemned Rubiales for the incident with Hermoso, and the 61-year-old has now spoken on his involvement in the matter.
On Friday, before announcing his latest squad for Spain’s Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Georgia and Cyprus, de la Fuente took the opportunity for applauding Rubiales during his speech last week.
“I’ve received harsh criticism for it and it’s deserved. I apologise for my actions.”
The matter has left a dark stain on Spanish football, and those involved are unlikely to see their reputations improve any time soon. De la Fuente is one of those that is expected to fall into this category.