Infotainment Factory: Uncle's wild 'affair' claim in slamming 'boy' Spain boss

The fallout from Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the World Cup earlier this month has continued, with the suspended football boss' uncle and former chief of staff labelling him "a boy" in need of a "re-education in his relationship with the women".

FIFA suspended Rubiales, who is both the president of the Spanish football federation and a vice president at European football body UEFA, for at least 90 days while it investigates the kiss and the ongoing fallout from his overall conduct at the final in Sydney.

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The under fire official's uncle and former chief of staff, Juan Rubiales, also condemned his nephew's actions, while offering his full support to Hermoso, which he says is shared by the rest of his family.

Luis Rubiales kisses Jennifer Hermoso during the medal ceremony.

Speaking with Spanish publication El Confidencial, Juan Rubiales, whose tenure as chief of staff ended on bad terms and lasted just two years, accused his nephew of "being obsessed with power, money, women" and using his position of influence for personal gain.

"He is a man obsessed with power, obsessed with luxury, obsessed with money, even with women," his uncle said. "I think he is a boy... I ask for generosity from Spanish society, which has been very forceful with him... A certain generosity to him, to the human being. Because I believe that this boy needs a program of social re-education and re-education in his relationship with the woman.

"Because when he had been in the Federation for a year he insisted on buying a two million euro penthouse with a pool in the center of Madrid, for example.

"He needed to put on the suit of an important person, who handled money, who had contacts. He's obsessed with it. Also with women, with big meals."

Juan Rubiales also accused his nephew of spending the football federation's money to fund a trip to New York to engage in an "affair".

Luis Rubiales' mother, meantime, has been hospitalised after going on hunger strike in protest at the treatment of her son, a local priest said.

Angeles Bejar locked herself in a church at the beginning of the week and declared the strike would continue "indefinite, day and night".

"She had not been feeling well because of the heat and everything else," the priest, who identified himself as Father Antonio, told Reuters.

"Her feet had become swollen and she was very tired. She had also become very nervous."

UEFA has been criticised for its handling of Rubiales' case after European football's governing body stayed publicly silent for 10 days since Rubiales provoked a furor in Spain and elsewhere, later fuelled by his defiant refusal to resign.

Spanish football president Luis Rubiales.

Even after FIFA formally opened a disciplinary case, UEFA did not say if it had taken action against Rubiales, who makes 250,000 euros ($416,000) annually as a vice president of that organisation.

"No solidarity," former England forward Ian Wright said of UEFA in a social media post, using an expletive to show his dismay with how the organisation is treating women's football. "These are the same people in charge of leading the future of women's football."

Leading into UEFA's annual awards gala, either Aitana Bonmatí or Olga Carmona of Spain is likely to be named as the women's player of the season in Europe for 2022-23. The other candidate is Matildas forward Sam Kerr.

Bonmatí's season ended as a World Cup champion, a Golden Ball winner as the best player at the tournament and a Champions League winner with Spanish club Barcelona. But it started by signing a letter from 15 national team players who said they no longer wanted to play for Spain coach Jorge Vilda because he was bad for their mental health.

Vilda kept his job with support from Rubiales. He picked three of the 15 rebels for his World Cup team, including Bonmatí.

Now Vilda is at risk of being fired by the federation's interim leadership before the UEFA ceremony and has been ostracised by dozens of Spanish players and his entire coaching staff. He is among three candidates for the coaching award in women's football.

Voting for the awards was done last week — as the Rubiales controversy flared into a national reckoning in Spain — by coaches of leading clubs and national teams in women's soccer, plus media.

Last Friday, UEFA announced the candidates who placed top three in the voting just as Rubiales was refusing to resign at an emergency meeting of the Spanish federation. FIFA suspended Rubiales the next day and ordered him and the federation not to contact Hermoso amid concerns about their confrontational tactics, including threats of legal action.

Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez and England coach Sarina Wiegman — the only woman nominated in the category — are up against Vilda for the UEFA coaching award.

The Champions League draw will also be held at the event at a beach-side convention centre, with teams like defending champion Manchester City finding out their upcoming opponents in between acceptance speeches.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin gave public comments on the topic for the first time Wednesday, saying in an interview with French sports daily L'Equipe that Rubiales' actions were "inappropriate."

"We must do more," Ceferin said, adding he had consulted in Monaco with UEFA's female vice president. "I had a meeting today with Laura McAllister to find ways to change the way we behave."

Separately, the Spanish federation is leading a UEFA-backed bid to host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal, Morocco and possibly Ukraine.