Rubiales row felt like going to war’, Says former Spain captain

A former captain of the Spain women's national football team has described the weeks-long standoff over the fate of Luis Rubiales as a "war" that had pitted more than a 100 of the country's top female players against certain members of the Spanish football establishment.

- Ashifa Kassam, Kate Connolly

In an interview published yesterday, Verónica Boquete even went so far as to claim that Jenni Hermoso's phone had been hacked, suggesting it may have been an attempt to discredit Hermoso in the wake of the unsolicited kiss by Rubiales.

Boquete did not offer further details of the alleged phone hacking or who might have done it, nor did she explain where the information had come from. "We knew there were no rules. Jenni's phone was hacked," she told the German news magazine Der Spiegel. "The perpetrators had access to personal videos and photos. Now only the things that will help them attack the victim will be leaked." The alleged hack came up after Boquete was asked about a video seemingly leaked this month in which Spanish players are seen on the team bus soon after their World Cup win. In the video, the mood appears to be jovial and some appear to be laughing about the kiss.

Boquete pointed to the wider context to claim that the video was being used strategically, saying: "There were also other moments on the bus in which the players said: 'Enough, this is a serious matter that cannot be tolerated.""