The president of the Spanish football federation Luis Rubiales finds himself in the hot seat as the controversy swells around his forced kiss on the player Jenni Hermoso during the victory of Spain on Sunday at the World Cup. Critics are now raining down on all sides and maintaining Luis Rubiales in his post seems more than compromised.
After the Spanish Prime Minister in office, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) and even one of the most famous footballers, the American Megan Rapinoe, it is the turn of the professional women’s football league to be indignant on Wednesday evening and even to demand the dismissal of the president of the Federation.
“That a boss grabs his employee by the head and kisses her on the mouth simply cannot be tolerated”, writes La Liga F, indicating in a press release posted on social networks that it has lodged a complaint with the President of the Superior Council Sports (CSD). “One of the greatest feats in the history of Spanish sport was tainted by the embarrassing behavior of Spain’s highest footballing representative who… turned out not to be up to the task that it occupies,” the text explains.
On Wednesday evening, the International Federation of Professional Football Associations (Fifpro) also called for an investigation by Fifa, regretting “that such a special moment for the players of the Spanish national team, in front of cameras around the world, be tainted by the inappropriate conduct of a person”.
Jenni Hermoso relies on her union
In the images shot on the podium at Sydney Stadium on Sunday evening, just after Spain’s coronation, we see Luis Rubiales take the head of striker Jennifer Hermoso between his two hands, before kissing her by surprise on the mouth.
Since the start of the affair, the player had spoken only twice: the first time during a live broadcast on Instagram where she spontaneously said with a smile “I didn’t like it, huh! about that kiss.
A little later, in statements transmitted to the press by the RFEF, she explained that it was “a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense joy that the victory in the World Cup brings”.
But on Wednesday evening, she announced in a statement that she was letting her union, Futpro, defend her, which called for “exemplary measures” against Luis Rubiales. Futpro, for its part, demanded from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), of which Rubiales is the president, “exemplary measures” in order to “watch over the rights of our players” by “applying the necessary protocols”.
Target of many criticisms since this kiss, Luis Rubiales had initially swept these disapprovals but in front of the extent of the “agitation” that his gesture caused, he had apologized Monday, explaining that there was “nothing ‘other to do’ in his words.
extraordinary general meeting
But his excuses were not convincing or not enough. So much so that the Spanish government on Wednesday demanded a “transparent and urgent” investigation from the federation.
Victor Francos, Spanish Secretary of State for Sport and President of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), said that the Council would take action if the RFEF did not, and that he could take the case to court. administration of sports in Spain. Faced with the “urgency” of the situation, the RFEF announced that it would hold an extraordinary general meeting on Friday devoted to the subject.
For La Liga F, “it’s not just about the kiss”: “Celebrating the triumph on the balcony of honor by holding the genitals next to the Queen and the Infanta Doña Sofía is inadmissible and disgusting”. The women’s league alludes here to another filmed moment of the evening when Luis Rubiales grabs his genitals to celebrate the Spanish victory … less than two meters from Queen Letizia.
“It’s an attitude (…) which has entered the history of world sport and, more seriously still, which will forever be linked to our national women’s team”, vituperates the women’s league, which regrets this moment of ” unprecedented international disgrace for the Spain brand, for Spanish sport and for global women’s football”.
“The gravity of the facts, the damage caused and the unanimous rejection on a global scale force decisions to be made. Public opinion was clear. Spain and Spanish football do not deserve a representative of this level, and the institutions must accompany and respond to the feelings of society, “concludes the text.
