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Barça sink

Under pressure for several weeks, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez announced after his side's 5-3 home defeat by Villarreal that he would be leaving the Catalan club at the end of the season.

SPAIN | LUIS RUBIALES AND THE FORCED KISS TO JENNIFER HERMOSO: "IT WAS A RECIPROCAL ACT".

Luis Rubiales may have decided to resign as President of the Spanish Football Federation, but he is still defending himself over the kiss he gave to player Jennifer Hermoso after La Roja won the FIFA Women's World Cup. For him, it was simply a "reciprocal act", he assured journalist Piers Morgan in an interview.

Luis Rubiales strikes back. In an interview granted to journalist Piers Morgan and broadcast on the British channel TalkTV on Tuesday, the now ex-president of the Spanish Football Association went back over the episode of the kiss to player Jennifer Hermoso after the women's 'Roja' were crowned world champions.

" It was a reciprocal act, she came to me, very happy" he said, referring to a gesture that has since led to his resignation and the fact that he has been summoned by an examining magistrate on Friday to appear as an accused to answer charges of sexual assault.

" She lifted me up, lifted me into the air (...) We were both moved. When we touched down, I had a brief exchange with her and we congratulated each other. I gave her a quick kiss. I asked her, "Can I give you a little kiss? Which is normal in our country (...) I remember that she gave me one or two pats on the side. She laughed and that was that." explained the former CEO during this interview on the Piers Morgan sans filtre programme.

MY INTENTIONS WERE NOBLE

" No (malicious) intent. And of course no sexual connotations or anything like that. Nothing other than a moment of happiness, a great joy at that moment." says Rubiales in this interview. " My intentions were noble, 100% not sexual, 100%, I repeat 100%," he claims.

Jenni Hermoso denied this, saying that she had " felt vulnerable and a victim (...) of an impulsive and sexist act, inappropriate and without any consent on (my) part" . Rubiales even argued before Piers Morgan that he would have acted the same way if it had been a man: " There's no doubt about it... When I was a player, there were times, when we were avoiding relegation or winning promotion in particular, when we kissed each other on the mouth..." .

Since a recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered a sexual assault, a criminal category that includes all types of sexual violence.

Wimbledon. King Carlitos", "Sir Carlos": the Spanish press praise Alcaraz

A prophet in his own country and admired abroad, Carlos Alcaraz has been hailed by the entire European sports press following his triumph over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday 16 July.

Second title for Carlos Alcaraz. On Sunday, after a Dantesque match against the most successful Grand Slam player in history, Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old Spaniard won the second Major of his career after the US Open in 2022. Many in the media have associated his coronation with that of Juan Carlos I, King of Spain between 1975 and 2014.

Second crown for Carlos Alcaraz. This Sunday, after a Dantesque match against the most successful Grand Slam champion in historyNovak Djokovic, the 20-year-old Spaniard, has won the second Major of his career after the US Open in 2022. Many in the media have associated his triumph with that of Juan Carlos I, King of Spain between 1975 and 2014.

King in his own country

In France, as in Spain, royal references flooded into the sports media. Asas L'Équipe referred to King Juan Carlos with "El Rey Carlitos" and "Le Roi Carlos" for the French newspaper.

Always in this comparison with the king, Marca played with the English anthem "God save the king" to give the Spanish title "Dios salve al nuevo rey" (God save the new king).

In the same style, Mundo Deportivo wanted to highlight Carlos Alcaraz's new title by adding the noble prefix "Sir".

In Italy too, the Corriere dello Sport is having fun with 'AlcaRe', 'Re' meaning king in Italian.

Generational change

Other media were more interested in highlighting the change of dynasty. El Pais headline "Alcaraz dethrones Djokovic", while El Mundo is heralding the start of a new sporting era. "Wimbledon inaugurates the Alcaraz era" at the end of "an unforgettable battle of generational change".

When you think of Alcaraz ushering in a new era in Spanish tennis, it is impossible not to think of Rafael Nadal. A lifelong supporter of Real Madrid, the ties that bind Nadal and the Casa Blanca are well known. On Sunday, Real took to Twitter to praise the performance of Alcaraz, who is also a fan of the Madrid club.

Text by Ouest-France / Marin BOBOT.

Volcanic eruption in La Palma still ongoing, island covered in ash

The Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to wreak havoc on the Spanish island of La Palma.

In the municipality of Todoque, a bell tower that had been spared until now finally succumbed to the burning lava.

A week after the eruption began, a large plume of smoke continues to rise from the volcano, even though the pressure inside has dropped in recent hours, according to the Canary Islands Volcanological Institute.

The volcanic ash fallout does not pose a risk to public health, according to the local authorities. Areas at risk have been evacuated. No casualties have been reported at this stage.

On the other hand, the lava destroyed almost 500 buildings and hundreds of hectares of vegetationThese include banana plantations, the island's main economic activity.

La Palma airport reopened on Sunday after 24 hours of closure due to ash accumulation. But flights remain suspended until conditions improve.

La Palma, in the Canary archipelago, has not seen a volcanic eruption since 1971.

Text By Euronews with AFP