Spain’s government started legal proceedings to suspend Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales from his position for kissing World Cup star Jenni Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final.
Summary
Spain’s government started legal proceedings to suspend Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales from his position for kissing World Cup star Jenni Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in the Women’s World Cup final.
- Spanish secretary of sport Victor Francos said he wants the Rubiales scandal to be “Spanish football’s MeToo moment.” If the Spanish Sports Court agrees that Rubiales violated the professional sports code, the government-run National Sports Council can suspend him.
- Earlier Saturday, FIFA suspended the Spanish soccer federation president for 90 days and a disciplinary committee will investigate his conduct at the World Cup final.
- Rubiales’ decision to kiss Hermoso on the lips has sparked an international uproar and demands for his resignation from leading figures in soccer along with the Spanish government.
- He was widely expected to resign his post at an extraordinary meeting of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), but instead refused to quit and said, “I don’t deserve this manhunt.”
- Rubiales complained, “”It was a spontaneous kiss. Mutual, euphoric and consensual. That’s the key. A consensual ‘peck’ is enough to get me out of here?”
- Jenni Hermoso has said she “didn’t consent” to Rubiales’ kiss and posted on social media, “”I want to make clear that at no time did the conversation to which Mr Luis Rubiales refers to in his address take place and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual.”
- The Spanish soccer federation is now threatening to take legal action against Hermoso for her “lies” and the federation claimed, “The evidence is conclusive. Mr President has not lied.”
- The 46-year-old president of the RFEF played lower-league soccer in Spain before becoming the boss of the Spanish players’ union in 2010 and later the head of the federation in 2018.
- He is also under fire for grabbing his crotch with both hands when celebrating the women’s victory while he was standing next to Spain’s Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter.
- The New York Times noted Hermoso is “widely regarded as one of the best forwards in women’s soccer today” and she is the current record-holder for the number of goals scored with the Spanish national team.
- Mother Jones argued Rubiales is “one of many” and that misogyny is pervasive in the leadership of Spanish soccer. “The Royal Spanish Football Federation, or RFEF, which oversees the national team, is still firmly siding with its president over the team that just won the World Cup. It responded to FIFA with a meandering, Trumpian statement once again attacking its own star player and calling her a liar. It threatened to sue Hermoso for defamation—and every other striking player for abandoning their duty.”
- The Guardian reported the tidal wave of outrage against Rubiales is just the latest incident to occur in a pattern of sexism that’s been a part of Spanish women’s football over the last 35 years. The team has had two coaches in this time, Ignacio Quereda and current coach Jorge Vilda. Quereda was forced out over sexism and Vilda has had a tense relationship with his players – but has been supported by Rubiales.
- The Wall Street Journal reported all 23 members of the World Cup-winning team are refusing to play for the national team under current leadership. An additional 58 current and former national team players also signed the letter. Leading male Spanish players backed them up, including retired national men’s team captain Iker Casillas, who posted on X, ““We should have spent these five days talking about our girls…But…”
- Rubiales appears determined to not take responsibility for his actions. “I’m telling the truth,” Rubiales said according to Fox News. “False feminism doesn’t look for justice or truth, it doesn’t care about people.” He bristled at those who called the kiss sexual assault, saying, “What will women who have been sexually assaulted think of that?”
- American soccer stars spoke out in support of Hermoso. According to the New York Post, Megan Rapinoe said Rubiales’ actions demonstrated a “deep level of misogyny and sexism.” Alex Morgan posted on X that she is “disgusted by the public actions of Luis Rubiales…Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players’ lives but instead it’s overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation.”
Return to Freespoke 
© Dominic Moore, 2023
