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Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales was pelted with eggs during the launch of his new book “Kill Rubiales” in Madrid on Thursday, in an incident that briefly turned chaotic and led to the arrest of the alleged assailant — who Rubiales later claimed was his own uncle.
Rubiales was addressing attendees at a presentation on Maria de Molina Street when a man in the audience suddenly hurled three eggs at him. Video circulating on social media shows Rubiales leaping from his chair as members of the audience stepped in to restrain him amid confusion inside the venue.
Speaking to the news outlet Periodista Digital, Rubiales said he was stunned to learn the perpetrator was a family member.
“I’ve found out he was my own uncle; Luis Ruben he’s called. An uncle who is my age. He threw eggs at me because he’s a deranged person, and I don’t think there’s any justification for it,” Rubiales said. “They’ve arrested him, they’ve taken him away, and we’ll have to take action because I honestly thought he was armed.”
Police confirmed that a Spanish man had been detained in connection with the incident, though they declined to verify any family link.
The episode comes as Rubiales continues to serve a three-year ban from all football-related activities, imposed by FIFA in 2023 and upheld through multiple appeals, including most recently by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2025.
The disgraced former federation chief has remained one of the most polarizing figures in Spanish sport following the scandal involving Spain forward Jenni Hermoso during the celebrations of the national team’s 2023 Women’s World Cup triumph. Rubiales grabbed Hermoso’s head and kissed her on the lips during the medal ceremony, sparking national outrage, mass protests, and a player boycott of the women’s national team.
Spain’s then-acting prime minister condemned the act as “unacceptable,” while 81 players refused to represent Spain until Rubiales resigned, which he eventually did in September 2023.
In February 2025, a Spanish court found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso without her consent, issuing a €10,800 fine and imposing a one-year restraining order preventing him from approaching or contacting her. He was acquitted of coercion charges relating to allegations that he pressured Hermoso to publicly describe the kiss as consensual.
Rubiales appealed the conviction, but Spain’s High Court upheld the fine. During court testimony, Hermoso said the kiss had “stained one of the happiest days of her life,” according to the BBC.
