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'Kissgate': Rubiales' mother hospitalised in Spain after hunger strike

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
'Kissgate': Rubiales' mother hospitalised in Spain after hunger strike
Spain's football federation president Luis Rubiales (C), his mother Ángeles Béjar (L) and his father Luis Rubiales (R) leave after an extraordinary general assembly of the federation on August 25th 2023 in Las Rozas de Madrid. Photo: Pierre Philippe MARCOU/AFP

The mother of Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales, suspended for forcibly kissing a player during Spain’s World Cup triumph, was taken to hospital on Wednesday, the third day of her hunger strike.

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Ángeles Béjar, who began her protest against her son’s treatment inside the Divina Pastora church in the southern seaside town of Motril, was evacuated and taken to hospital by the emergency services, parish priest Antonio Rodriguez told reporters.

"I have to tell you she had a crisis and had to be rushed to hospital. She is no longer here," said the priest, adding that Ángeles Béjar was "tired, with many (health) problems, not just the emotional stress," he said.

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Rubiales’ mother had promised to stay locked up in the church until Jenni Hermoso, the player who was kissed on the mouth by her son, “tells the truth” about what happened, a family member explained.

“This harassment is not fair. His mother, who is very religious, found refuge with God. She has started a hunger strike and does not want to leave the church”, her niece Vanessa Ruíz Béjar said on Monday.

Contacted by AFP, Motril hospital would not confirm that she had been admitted as a patient.

Rubiales, 46, grew up in Motril and his father was the resort town’s former mayor.

FIFA suspended him on Saturday after he forcefully kissed Hermoso on the mouth after Spain won the Women’s World Cup in Australia on August 20, sparking an outcry.

READ ALSO: Death of the Iberian macho - What the Rubiales kiss uproar says about Spain

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