Spain’s men restored normal service on the field, beating Cyprus 6-0 in a European Championship qualifying game two days after disgraced soccer federation president Luis Rubiales resigned.
Rubiales still managed to cast a further shadow over Spanish soccer that has been in turmoil because of his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final on Aug. 20 and in the fallout since.
At almost exactly the time Gavi gave Spain an 18th-minute lead Tuesday, a television interview given by Rubiales began broadcasting on a British cable news channel. Excerpts from the interview on TalkTV aired Sunday and were widely reported.
The full interview aired hours after it was reported Rubiales has been summoned by a judge to a Madrid court on Friday as part of a criminal investigation into him kissing star player Jenni Hermoso at the trophy ceremony in Australia.