By Samuel A. August 25, 2023
Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been subject to heavy criticism after allegedly kissing Women’s World Cup winning midfielder, Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the trophy ceremony following the 1-0 victory over England on Sunday. The incident, which diverted much attention away from the players’ amazing achievement in the competition came as Hermoso and her teammates were receiving their medals from FIFA president, Gianni Infantino and Spain’s Queen, Letizia on the podium at the Accor Stadium. As Hermoso passed further down the line of dignitaries and got to Rubiales, he first picked her up in his arms, then took her head in both hands and planted a kiss full on her lips. The midfielder soon afterwards said she had been surprised by the kiss and had no way to avoid the situation. “Yeah it happened, but I didn’t like it,” Hermoso said on an Instagram live broadcast. “But what could I do? Look at me”.
Footage from the dressing room afterwards, shared by the players, showed Rubiales with an arm around Hermoso as he announced a holiday to Ibiza for the team, saying: “There, we will celebrate the wedding of Jenni and Luis Rubiales.”
As criticism of such scenes mounted, both in Spain and internationally, the RFEF released a statement to Spanish based news agency, EFE. The statement had Hermoso saying “there should be no more made of this gesture of friendship and gratitude”, however, this was not accepted by many people in Spain, including the country’s equality minister, Irene Montero. “We shouldn’t assume that kissing someone without their consent is something ‘that happens’,” Montero wrote on Twitter. “It is a form of sexual violence that we women suffer regularly and, until now, invisibly and that we cannot normalise. It is a task for all of society.” Rubiales, on the other hand, showed no intention of apologising, never mind resigning, when speaking that night. “We do not pay any attention to idiots and stupid people,” he said on Spanish radio station Cope. “It was a peck between two friends celebrating something. The criticism is really all just nonsense, from dickheads and dumbasses. These are just losers who did not know how to see the positive side. Viva Espana! We have the best players in the world and that is what we should be talking about. With one friend I celebrate with a kiss, with another giving her a hug, and whatever else.”
On the same programme, Hermoso herself was questioned about the reaction to the kiss from Rubiales and was asked to agree with the presenter Juanma Castano that it was not so important. “It is just a small thing,” Hermoso said, still in party mode after winning the trophy. “If people want to blow it up, they will. For sure, I won’t be making more of it.”
After all the back and forth, Rubiales has been forced to resign from his position as Spanish Football Federation president, but has publicly disagreed on Friday morning, shouting “I will not resign” and disclaiming Jenni, saying it was consensual. FIFA have however ordered for Rubiales to be suspended for 90 days, with subsequent consequences of his actions yet to be decided.
