The controversy continues around an episode that followed the victory of the Spanish footballers in the final of the World Cup: the kiss of the president of the Spanish Football Federation to striker Jenni Hermoso. The outgoing Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, in turn spoke on the subject on Tuesday August 22, denouncing “an unacceptable gesture” and judging that his apologies were “insufficient”.
“What we saw was an unacceptable gesture […] and the apologies he made are insufficient” and “inadequate”, commented Pedro Sanchez during a press conference in Madrid after an audience with King Felipe VI, calling on the president of the federation to “go further”, without further details.
It was the first comment from the outgoing head of government on the controversy that has swelled since Sunday, when the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, kissed striker Jenni Hermoso on the mouth in Sydney after the world crown of the Spanish players.
Luis Rubiales apologized in a video posted on social media on Monday, saying it was an act “without any bad intention, without any bad faith”. But Pedro Sanchez felt that “the apologies that Luis Rubiales gave are not enough”. “I even think that they are inappropriate and that he must therefore go further,” added the head of government, whose country is considered a pioneer in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.
Footage shot on the podium at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on Sunday showed Luis Rubiales kissing the player on the mouth, cupping her head in both hands. Taken up by Spanish media, they spread like wildfire on social networks, sparking numerous criticisms of Mr. Rubiales. “I didn’t like it, huh!” “Reacted the Spanish N.10 in the locker room during a live broadcast on Instagram, before smiling at the goal.
“It’s a spontaneous celebration, manifesting like this. The two are very close friends,” a federation source told AFP. But since then, several ministers of the Spanish leftist government, including Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz, number three in the government, have called for the resignation of Mr. Rubiales, citing a clear and actionable gesture.
