Spain won the World Cup but their reptilian FA president Rubiales is the loser

There wasn't a great deal of solace to be taken from the manner of the Lionesses' defeat on Sunday, though to have won and seen one of our representatives conduct himself as the head of Spanish FA did would have been a terrible reflection on our nation.

Not content with its creepy president Luis Rubiales placing a kiss on the lips of star player Jenni Hermoso, Spain's FA proceeded to engage in a familiar sleight of hand to get him off the hook.

Hermoso, not unreasonably, did not take terribly well to having Rubiales' face looming into view and his hand locked around the back of her head.

'I didn't like it,' was her immediate and frank reaction.

Yet then came one of those 'clarifications' that some in the communications industry reach for in moments of optimal embarrassment. Comments in Hermoso's name, provided to the AFP agency by Rubiales, described the grab as 'a natural gesture of affection and gratitude'.

There were no press released comments relating to images of Rubiales grabbing his crotch in some kind of a victory gesture as Spain won, from his position in the VVIP seats. (Yes - really: Very, Very Important Person.) Rubiales, at the centre of the Spanish FA's pitiful response to the racism inflicted on Vinicius Jr, has been the protector of Spanish women's team manager Jorge Vilda, who is widely detested by most of his players.

I saw Vilda in action at Spain's pre-final press conference on Saturday night: a jumped-up, self-important, thin-skinned little man. Losing a World Cup final is bad. Being associated with reptiles is worse.