Days before May 21, 2022, the spotlight remained on a storm unfolding around the current RFEF president, Luis Rubiales, and the private conversations that had begun to surface. A former RFEF employee emerged as the person who leaked documents and files to the press from the start. As days passed, the leaker was described as still a worker, or perhaps a former one: Juan Rubiales. Between 2018 and 2020, Rubiales’s uncle and private secretary was dismissed as the museum director. What began as a family dispute soon resembled a public clash between two relatives, a public feud that could pull more players into the conflict.
About a year and a half later, Juan Rubiales stepped forward, giving interviews to El Mundo, El Confidencial, and Cope. He asserted that his nephew was dismissed at every level. A kiss with Jenni Hermoso and a shadow of depression followed in the weeks that ensued.
Dissolution of the Rubiales family
In an account shared by Juan, he described a decisive break between Rubiales’s parents, Luis, and the rest of the family. The moment came on December 10, 2020, the day of the private office dismissal, conveyed by email at 23:00. The family reportedly decided to cut ties, with eleven people in total keeping distance from the central figures. Since then, Juan continued to work at the factory, while Rubiales himself rose to a director position at the museum. A gilded cage appeared to be in place, a perch built by Luis for those who once guided him before trust started to waver.
As May approached in 2022, Anti-Corruption prosecutors began investigating Luis Rubiales for alleged corruption and improper management in business, following a complaint from Miguel Angel Galan, the head of the National Football Coaches Training Center. Juan Rubiales was named to testify. He knew the truth; Luis knew it; the whole family knew it.
The family relationship, as Juan himself stated, had grown deeply strained. A rift between uncle and niece widened as the story unfolded. Juan painted Luis as an arrogant, powerful figure who used his authority in questionable ways, pointing to a New York trip with a Mexican artist, a party in Salobreña attended by young women, and a suggested mediation by Gerard Piqué to secure commissions for taking the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. Juan, a member of the former president’s inner circle, described Luis as an authoritarian leader who acted from Madrid, making decisions independently and shouting at staff.
Cup final and Royal House
One of the most heated moments between the relatives reportedly occurred around the Covid era Copa del Rey final of the 2019-20 season. The RFEF had agreed to relocate the final of Athletic versus Real Sociedad to a later season so it could be played before a crowd. A witness recalled that Juan told Luis, following protocol, to consult Casa Real before announcing the final, since the king normally attends. The response attributed to Luis was blunt: I will set the final when I leave this place.
With tensions mounting, mid-May 2022 brought heightened expectations of a family clash. If Juan decided to testify to the Prosecutor, there could be no turning back. Luis made it clear that his uncle bore direct responsibility for the leaks. The sequencing of events mattered less than the fact that the accusations were being routed through the family circle.
Two of the Rubiales family members, Luis Manuel Rubiales López and the former mayor of Motril, spoke privately to seek peace between the uncle and the nephew. The proposed antidote involved a large family gathering, with Luis giving the go-ahead, though Juan remained wary about the plan.
“Fixed it in five minutes”
There was talk that a reconciliation could happen quickly, with the ousted RFEF head offering his Madrid penthouse on Ferraz Street as the meeting place. Juan remained cautious about the May 21 meeting, recalling a call from someone at the RFEF who warned that if things turned sour, he would be blamed as the former chief of staff. The warning emphasized the fragility of any attempt at unity.
What finally doomed the reunion was a stark statement attributed to Luis in another family discussion: I will resign on behalf of my family if needed. Those around the organization understood this as a trap, and Juan sensed the ruse.
Given the recent events, it seems Rubiales was not prepared to resign for the sake of his family, including his younger daughters, a stance he did not hide during the talks. He asserted, I will not resign, repeating the line several times. The effort to rebuild family ties had stretched on for 15 months without progress. Since that attempt, tensions reemerged, with each side feeding new exchanges and a continuing cycle of rebuttal and counterattack.