Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was asked whether incidents of racism could have damaged their chances of hosting the World Cup, but ended up talking about sexism too.
De la Fuente caught significant heat in recent weeks after he was seen applauding former RFEF President Luis Rubiales during his infamous general assembly speech, where he accused Jenni Hermoso of lying.
He took a little longer than many expected to condemn Rubiales, to apologise, and did not express support for Hermoso at the time. During his press conference after announcing the Spain squad for the upcoming internationals, off-pitch matters were still a central theme.
“I am the first to condemn any racist act but Spain is not sex… Sorry. I meant to say racist, but Spain is not neither sexist nor racist. And to be clear, I’m not racist either.”
It was another awkward moment for de la Fuente, who has admitted he struggles in the public eye. De la Fuente was asked how he was handling all of the controversy – he is due in court to give a testimony about the Rubiales legal case shortly.
“I watch a lot of football, all day. My friends say I have no life. I get distracted watching football although I’m not oblivious to reality. I read the news that comes out, but I push it away.”
There’s enough evidence to believe that de la Fuente does struggle to be the smooth talking, charming figures that football management often sees these days, but nevertheless the Rubiales incident will remain a blot on his copybook.