Disgraced former Spanish football president Luis Rubiales had eggs thrown at him during his book launch… by a person believed to be his own uncle.
Rubiales kissed Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso during Spain’s World Cup final celebrations in 2023 without her consent.
Earlier this yr, the Spaniard was fined €10,800 (£8,935) high quality and handed a restraining order after being found guilty of sexually assaulting Hermoso.
The 48-year-old was on stage at an event in Madrid on Thursday when a member of the audience began throwing eggs in his direction.
Rubiales raced forward to confront his assailant before being held back by members of the gang.
Talking to Radio Marca after the incident, the previous head of Spanish football confirmed the person was his uncle, who has ‘at all times been a trouble maker.’
Rubiales also believed the person ‘had a weapon’ in his hands.
‘He was carrying eggs and throwing them at me, but I didn’t know what he had in his hands and after I saw him, I believed he had a weapon. So I ran quickly towards him.’
Rubiales added: ‘We were lucky that they stopped me. I didn’t know what this man had in his hand, I didn’t know if he had a weapon.
‘I saw a pregnant woman, who’s my friend Paco’s wife, with two babies, right where he was standing with something in his hand, and I believed in regards to the children. If I had grabbed him, we can be in a unique situation.’
Marca report the person can also be named Luis Rubiales, his father’s younger brother.
Rubiales resigned from his position because the president of the Spanish Football Federation in September 2023 almost a month after the World Cup final.
He was subsequently handed a three-year ban by FIFA from all football activities.
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