Spain’s Jenni Hermoso is calling for Luis Rubiales to face disciplinary action from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after the RFEF’s president kissed her on the lips while she was collecting her winners’ medal at the end of Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final victory over England.
The unsolicited kiss from Rubiales has been widely condemned around the world, with Spanish government ministers being among those to call for him to resign, and Hermoso now says she hopes he faces “exemplary measures”.
The world players’ union Fifpro also said on Wednesday evening that it wants Fifa’s ethics committee to investigate Rubiales’ behaviour, saying that it is “calling for immediate action to address the conduct of Luis Rubiales” and adding that it is: “Requesting an investigation of his actions under Fifa’s code of ethics. Uninitiated and uninvited physical approaches towards players are not appropriate or acceptable in any context, and especially not when they are put in a position of vulnerability by a person who holds a position of power over them in their workplace.”
Rubiales has also been criticised for appearing to grab his crotch while he was celebrating Spain’s victory from the stands. He issued an apology in a video on Monday, but he had initially called his critics “idiots”.
Former Barcelona star Hermoso, who was a key part of the Spain side that won their first global women’s title in Sydney, said in a statement released jointly by her union Futpro and her agency TMJ: “My union, in coordination with my agency, are taking care of defending my interests and have taken over as my interlocutors on this matter.
“We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that the exemplary measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable.”
Futpro, a players union specifically for women’s footballers in Spain, will meet with Spain’s second deputy leader Yolanda Diaz next Monday to discuss sanctions towards Rubiales.
Futpro added: “We also call on the Higher Sports Council [CSD] so that, within its powers, it actively supports and promotes prevention and intervention in the face of sexual harassment or abuse, machismo and sexism.”
