Luis Rubiales is set to resign from his position as president of the Spanish FA after kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the nation’s World Cup celebrations on Sunday
Jenni Hermoso was kissed on her lips by Spain FA president Luis Rubiales
Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales is expected to resign after he kissed Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the nation’s World Cup celebrations.
Hermoso said she “did not enjoy it” in the aftermath of the incident and later called for the president’s actions to ‘not go unpunished’. The moment occurred when Rubiales was congratulating the 33-year-old for her role in defeating England 1-0 in the World Cup final in Sydney.
Rubiales was among the dignitaries on the podium after each player was handed their medal by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The Spanish FA chief hugged Hermoso, temporarily lifting her off her feet, before placing his hands on the back of the player’s head and pulling her in to kiss her on the lips.
On Wednesday, Hermoso – via the FUTPRO union – released a communication about the incident: “My FUTPRO union, in coordination with my TMJ agency, are taking charge of defending my interests and being the communication channel on this matter.”
FUTPRO made the demand that Rubiales “did not go unpunished” for the kiss. They called on the Spanish FA to implement “the necessary protocols” and adopt “exemplary measures.” The federation’s official protocol classifies ‘forced kisses’ as “unacceptable conduct with immediate consequences.”
Footage of the incident swiftly went viral on social media with supporters of the Spanish team and many others highlighting the actions of Rubiales and stating that they were inappropriate. Hermoso then spoke of the incident on her Instagram Live account after the match.
The star said of the incident: “Eh… yeah, I did not enjoy that.” She was then asked by an unidentified teammate: “Sis, what have you done”? Hermoso replied: “What can I do, look at me.” An unidentified male member of staff then asked: “Did he use tongue?”
Hermoso was kissed on her lips by Spain FA president Rubiales after the match (
Image:
RTVE)
Getafe became the first La Liga club to call for Rubiales to resign. chairman Angel Torres has said “Rubiales cannot last another minute in office.” If he did not step down, the club asked for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to intervene.
Other top-flight clubs then joined Getafe in demanding that Rubiales step down. Osasuna and Real Sociedad both expressed their position before Atletico Madrid confirmed that they also wished for Rubiales to leave his post.
On Thursday, FIFA opened disciplinary action against Rubiales: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee informed Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on 20 August 2023.
Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez condemned the “unacceptable” behaviour of Rubiales on Tuesday, adding that the Spanish football president’s apologies “have not been enough”. Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz has called for Rubiales’ removal from his post, saying: “We continue to request the resignation of Rubiales, who has dehumanised and assaulted a woman. His excuses are useless.”
The CSD (Spain’s High Council for Sports) has already received complaints about Rubiales and the Spanish FA has convened an extraordinary meeting for Friday, where multiple reports claim his resignation will be officially ratified.
The global players’ union FIFPRO released a statement on Wednesday calling for immediate action to be taken, adding “it is deeply lamentable that such a special moment … should be stained by the inappropriate conduct of an individual in a role carrying so much responsibility”.
Rubiales was also pictured kissing Olga Carmona after the game (
Image:
Twitter@https://twitter.com/PabloEchenique)
Rubiales said in an apology video posted online on Monday : “There is something that I regret and it is everything that has happened between me and a player, with whom I have a magnificent relationship – just as I do with the other players.
“This is an incident in which I have surely been wrong, I have to admit it because at a moment of maximum emotion and without any bad intention, and without any bad faith, what happened did so in a really spontaneous manner.”
That represented a U-turn for Rubiales, who told Radio Marca on Sunday that the incident was “a minor show of affection” and called those condemning his actions “idiots”. He bullishly had said: “The kiss with Jenni? There are idiots everywhere. When two people have a minor show of affection, we can’t listen to idiocies. We are champions and that is what stays with me.”
Further footage was posted on Spain forward Salma Paralluelo’s Instagram Live account, showing Rubiales entering the players’ dressing room after the match. He informed them that they must visit the Spanish island of Ibiza, as that is where he will marry Hermoso.
The kiss with Hermoso did not appear to be an isolated incident, with Rubiales also pictured kissing the cheek of Olga Carmona - the scorer of Spain’s winning goal - during the on-field celebrations after the match.
Hermoso is Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer and the World Cup is the latest trophy she has won during her illustrious career. Across stints at Rayo Vallecano, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, Hermoso has lifted seven Spanish league titles and also started for Barcelona as they beat Chelsea to win the 2021 Champions League final.
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