Mother of Spanish FA boss taken to hospital after three-day hunger strike over kiss scandal

The mother of embattled Spanish football association chief Luis Rubiales was taken to hospital on Wednesday evening after embarking on a three-day hunger strike against what she claimed was a “witch hunt” against her son.

Angeles Bejar had locked herself in a church in her hometown of Motril in southern Spain on Monday to protest the treatment of her son, who is facing escalating calls to resign over his conduct at the Women’s World Cup.

Mr Rubiales has stood firm in the face of a boycott by women’s players, mass resignations of coaches, and demands from regional leaders at the footballing body – who were incensed after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso while the team celebrated their victory over England. Hermoso has described the kiss as unwanted and not consensual.

Ms Bejar, 72, was taken to the Santa Ana hospital in Motril on Wednesday evening after feeling tired and stressed out, a priest, who identified himself as Father Antonio told reporters – although the hospital would not confirm if she had been admitted.

A media scrum assembled outside the church on Monday after Ms Bejar shut herself inside, demanding a solution to the “inhumane and bloody hunt that they are doing with my son”. She claimed she would not leave the church “indefinitely, day and night” and said she was prepared to die to seek justice.

But Father Antonio said on Wednesday evening she was no longer at the church and had left by a back exit. He said she “felt very anguished and dizzy and very strange” and was taken to hospital “as a matter of urgency”, adding: “My understanding is she’ll have to break her hunger strike now.”

He said: “I don’t know if she is being accompanied by relatives now and how she got to hospital because I didn’t see an ambulance, but Luis Rubiales spoke to her before she went and between various relatives, they decided Angeles should go to hospital.

“She’s an elderly lady. Her feet were already swollen but things got worse this afternoon and she became very nervous. She won’t be coming back here even if she gets better.”

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International footballing body Fifa has already suspended Rubiales for at least 90 days while it investigates the incident at the World Cup final in Sydney, Australia on 20 August, and barred him from contacting Hermoso.

Spanish society must break a “pact of silence” and stop normalising sexist behaviour as well as better support women brave enough to speak out when it happens, acting Equality Minister Irene Montero said earlier on Wednesday.

“Spain is a feminist society in which sexism still exists, but it is determined to end sexism,” Ms Montero said. “We are sending the correct message to the world, that sexism is over.”

Ms Montero said sport in Spain is structurally sexist and she expressed disappointment that Spain’s male football players have largely stayed silent about the incident while the entire women’s football team has said it will not play while Mr Rubiales refuses to resign.

The case has stoked political divisions within Spain.

The hard-right Vox party on Wednesday said the case was a “political witchhunt” designed to obfuscate the errors committed by the left-wing government – but they still called for Rubiales to resign, citing behaviour incompatible with the presidency of a federation.

Mr Rubiales has accused his critics of “false feminism” and denies any wrongdoing.

Additional reporting by agencies