BBC make major blunder by using footage of Man City legend Pablo Zabaleta instead of Spanish FA boss Luis Rubiales

The BBC used footage of former West Ham and Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta instead of Luis Rubiales when reporting on the Spanish FA kissing scandal.

On Sunday evening the Spanish Football Federation regional leaders called on the president, Rubiales, to immediately resign after he kissed Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s World Cup final victory win over England.

Hermoso said the kiss on her lips was not consensual.

After an extraordinary meeting of its regional presidents, the federation (RFEF) said in a statement on Monday: "After recent events and the unacceptable behaviour that has seriously damaged the image of Spanish football, the presidents request that Luis Rubiales resign immediately as president of the RFEF."

The story took several further turns on Monday, with Spanish prosecutors having opened a preliminary investigation into whether the incident amounts to a crime of sexual assault.

Moreover, Rubiales' mother Angeles Bejar locked herself in a church and went on a hunger strike to protest against the treatment of her son.

That evening hundreds also gathered in Madrid in protests called by feminist groups in support of the 33-year-old footballer and against Rubiales.

While it is perhaps the most significant story in the world of football, when the BBC reported on its developments on Sunday they made a huge gaffe.

The broadcaster showed footage of City legend Zabaleta instead of Rubiales during the bulletin regarding his controversial World Cup kiss.

Reporter Lewis Vaughan Jones tackled the incident first on a midday bulletin to deliver the news that the Spanish FA (RFEF) was calling an urgent meeting to discuss Rubiales’ future.

And after first showing a picture of the kiss, the footage switched to a clip of Zabaleta, who bears a passing resemblance to Rubiales, walking and chatting, while Vaughan Jones explained - in what was an obvious error - how "he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips".

A BBC spokesperson told SPORTbible: “A production error meant we showed the wrong image in an earlier broadcast. This has now been rectified.”

SPORTbible has also contacted Zabaleta’s representatives for comment.