It was a moment of triumph across Spain and around the world, an unprecedented display of talent offering a fascinating preview of what lies ahead for women’s football. But the day after Spain’s women’s team won the World Cup, it was the country’s head of football – a 45-year-old man – that dominated the domestic press.
The uproar began shortly after Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the final in Sydney on Sunday night. When Spain won the gold medal, Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation, grabbed striker Jenni Hermoso by the head, pulled her towards him and kissed her on the lips.
Shortly after, Hermoso said on a live stream that she “didn’t like it”. Then she added: “But what can I do?”
The video of the unwanted kiss went viral online, sparking outrage at home and abroad. Equality minister in the interim government, Irene Montero, describe it as “a form of sexual violence that we women endure every day and which has remained invisible to this day”. “We can’t normalize this,” she added.
No demos por hecho que dar un beso sin favoriteimiento es algo “que pasa”. This is a form of sexual violence that sufrimos las mujeres de forma cotidiana y hasta ahora invisible, y que no podemos normalizar. Es tarea de toda la society. My consent is in the center. Solo
– Irene Montero (@IreneMontero) August 20, 2023
Her views are supported by Nadia Tronchoni, sports director at El País newspaper. “It was an intrusion,” she wrote. “An invasion of one’s personal space. No consent. rampage.
“It’s a pity that such a beautiful day has to be ruined by this trash machine.”
The country’s acting sports minister, Miquel Iceta, described the move as “unacceptable” and demanded an explanation and apology from Rubiales. The spokesman for the leftist coalition Sumar, Marta Lois, joined many on social media call Rubiales to design.
When the gesture threatens to overshadow the amazing achievements of laRojaThe federation stepped in, making Hermoso’s comments seem to clarify her point, saying it was a “natural emotional gesture”.
“It was a completely spontaneous joint gesture because of the immense joy that winning the World Cup brings,” Hermoso said, in comments provided to Agence France-Presse by the Spanish federation. “The president and I have a great relationship, his manners with all of us were outstanding and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude.”
On social media, some people tried to defend Rubiales, pointing to videos of him kissing on the cheek and hugging other players.
Initially, Rubiales dismissed suggestions that he had acted improperly. “It’s a kiss between two friends to celebrate something,” he told Cope TV on Sunday, dismissing those who see it otherwise as “fools and idiots.” stupid”. He added: “Skip them and enjoy the good things.”
On Monday, he appeared to issue a more conciliatory note. “We take it as natural, normal and with no ill intentions, but there are people who have been hurt by this and I have to apologize. There’s no other way, right?” he said in a video distributed by the federation to the Spanish media. He admitted the incident had “stained the celebration somewhat”.
He doesn’t mention Hermoso by name in the video, instead describing her as a player “with whom I have a great relationship”. The gesture was made “really spontaneously”, he said.
He sought to downplay his earlier reaction. “There were also some of my statements where I said I thought this was stupid. That’s because here no one on the inside considered it the most important, but on the outside it was. Therefore, I also want to apologize to those people because if they see it differently from the outside, they certainly have their reasons.”
Across Spain, it is impossible to untangle the unwanted kiss from the deep division that revealed last year, between Spanish football and its female players.
Last year, 15 players refused to play for head coach Jorge Vilda, complaining about his tactics, coaching methods and management style. Vilda said at the time of the boycott, the accusations were “unjust” and the country’s football federation still supported him. The three players later returned and throughout the tournament Vilda managed to divert attention from the dispute and maintain focus on the football.
It seems that at the core of the feud is the sentiment that the federation – led by Rubiales – doesn’t really believe in women’s football.
“These are not two equals,” writes journalist Ana Requena Aguilar on ElDiario.es. “The two are part of the hierarchy he is above, Rubiales has power over Hermoso.”
Speaking on Spanish television station Cadena Ser, host José Luis Sastre alluded to how this unequal relationship has led to a double standard. “In the hundreds of celebrations we’ve seen between Rubiales and the boys, he didn’t grab any of them by the head to give them a kiss without asking.”
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