Astonishingly low act after unwanted kiss at World Cup final

An extraordinarily brazen moment after the World Cup final left the world in shock. Somehow, it has been surpassed.

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After the World Cup final last Sunday, as Spain’s football federation scrambled to defuse the snowballing condemnation of its monumental goose of a boss, it issued a statement that could be charitably described as “curious”.

The words, written in first person, were attributed to Spanish player Jenni Hermoso, whom federation president Luis Rubiales had grabbed by the head, pulled towards him and kissed on the lips, without her consent, during the post-match medal presentation.

It was one of multiple such space invasions, which also included weirdly intimate kisses on players’ cheeks and the tossing of a newly crowned world champion over his shoulder like he was playing with an unruly toddler.

This is to say nothing of the moment he celebrated Spain’s win, a short distance away from its Queen and her daughter, by aggressively grabbing his crotch. And I do mean aggressively. Not since Elon Musk have we met such a succinct, one-man vindication of sapphism.

Asked about the kiss afterwards, during a livestream from the Spanish dressing rooms, Hermoso confirmed what had been obvious from her body language: she “didn’t like it”. Yet the statement issued in her name hours later was an unqualified defence of Rubiales.

“It was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture,” it said.

“The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour with all of us has been outstanding, and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude.

“You cannot go overboard with a gesture of friendship and gratitude. We have won a World Cup and we are not going to deviate from what is important.”

The “mutual gesture” in question. The still image doesn’t quite capture her discomfort, but you still get the gist.

Rubiales, the federation president, throws Athenea del Castillo Beivide over his shoulder. Picture: David Gray/AFP

A “mutual gesture”. Strange way to describe an unwanted kiss, that. And what’s this “you cannot go overboard with a gesture of friendship” crap? Hardly a great message to send the friendzoned, sexually frustrated incels of the world. If I want chauvinist delusion posing as wisdom I’ll go straight to Andrew Tate, thank you very much.

The entire statement reads as though it were either written by a clueless teenage boy, which Hermoso is most definitely not, or dictated by the player with a gun to her head.

Except lo and behold, the federation didn’t even bother to coerce her. According to Spanish news outlet Relevo, the organisation concocted the statement without Hermoso and released it to the world, in her name, without telling her.

The quotes “attributed to the football player” were, in fact, “written by the federation’s communications department”. It “put those words in Jenni’s mouth”.

What an astonishingly shameless thing to have done. Not quite as shameless, perhaps, as planting an unwelcome kiss on someone with hundreds of TV cameras pointed at you and an audience of millions watching. But still.

To reiterate, because I genuinely cannot believe this is a real thing that happened: the president of Spain’s football federation kissed a player against her will, and in its clumsy haste to excuse him, the federation issued a fake statement in her name, pretending she was eager to exonerate the man who had just done that to her on live television.

No word exists, in English or Spanish, to adequately convey how outrageous that is.

The Spanish team celebrates after flying home. Picture: Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Days later, Hermoso clarified her position with a statement – a real one, this time – stressing that “acts such as those we have seen” should “never go unpunished” and female footballers should be protected from “actions we believe are unacceptable”.

(If you’re wondering what the big deal is, dearest reader, ask yourself whether Rubiales would have done the same thing to a male football player. You know the answer.)

It’s a sick joke that the most successful women’s World Cup in history, which generated so little negativity until its final week, ended with the sport sinking back into sexist disrepute. Rubiales’ behaviour is merely the worst example.

The word to which I keep returning is “brazen”. All of the lingering sexism in football, from the paternalistic to the toxic, is so brazen.

“We do not pay any attention to idiots and stupid people,” Rubiales told Spanish radio in the immediate aftermath of the kiss, for which he would later issue something vaguely resembling an apology.

“(The criticism) is really all just nonsense, (coming from) dickheads and dumbasses. These are just losers who did not know how to see the positive side.”

Nary a hint of self-reflection. Not an ounce of thought for Hermoso. This is the man who runs the sport in Spain.

What a charming gentleman. Picture: Thomas Coex/AFP

How unsurprising it is, then, that Spain’s coach, Jorge Vilda, has remained in place, despite a full-blown revolt from the team a year ago, when 15 of the players accused him of overseeing a toxic, controlling environment that threatened their physical and mental health.

Instead of taking their complaints seriously, the Spanish federation, led by Rubiales, threatened them with retribution and – the sheer cheek of this – urged them to “ask for forgiveness”.

The organisation made its priorities plain in that moment: protect the man, silence the women. Now Vilda can call himself a World Cup winner. It is telling, though, that the team celebrated its triumph on Sunday on the opposite side of the field from the coaching staff.

(Update: After this story was published, Rubiales stood up at a press conference and refused to resign, insisting the kiss was “mutual, euphoric and consensual”, and portraying himself as a victim. He was “passionately applauded” by both Vilda and Luis de la Fuente, who coaches the Spanish men’s team. So in addition to everything else, we now have Hermoso’s coach, who is supposed to act in her interests, siding against her.)

We have heard a great many platitudes about the bright future of women’s football recently, too many of them from men whose record would suggest they actually don’t give a damn.

The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, told fans to “do the right thing” by filling stadiums at the World Cup, then flew off for a holiday in Tahiti midway through the tournament. You shan’t be shocked to learn he attended every matchday at the men’s World Cup last year.

Just before the final, by which time he had returned to pantomiming as a president, Infantino had the gall to lecture women about equality in the sport.

“I say to all the women – and you know I have four daughters, so I have a few at home – that you have the power to change. Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights,” he said.

“You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. You do it. Just do it.”

“You do it!” This, from the guy whose literal job is to “do it” himself. And sorry, hang on, one moment: “I have a few at home.” Seriously? He talks about women the way most of us would talk about bottles of soy sauce in the pantry.

Infantino could have displayed some leadership this week by condemning Rubiales’ actions. One can only presume he was busy polishing that shiny cranium of his with the fresh €100 notes he’d earned, thanks to better men – and women.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino. My goodness, football does love an obnoxious bald man. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

At least Infantino showed up to the final, which is more than can be said of Prince William, who remained away on holiday despite being the president of England’s FA.

Try to imagine a scenario in which England reaches the final of a men’s World Cup and William snubs it. You may as well picture Donald Trump doing ballet, or the King setting up an OnlyFans.

Revealing, wasn’t it, that William’s 14-second video wishing his team well in the final, already an insulting afterthought, featured only one of his children?

There was Charlotte, plonked next to her father, offered up as a prop by the royals’ PR machine. Her brothers George and Louis were nowhere to be seen. Why? It seems William and his staff didn’t even think of involving them.

The crest of all this disheartening nonsense came from one of the world’s richest and most powerful football clubs, Manchester United. By most accounts and all appearances, the men in charge of United were preparing to welcome a talented young striker, Mason Greenwood, back into their squad after criminal charges against him, alleging abusive behaviour towards his girlfriend, were dropped.

Only after a fearsome public outcry, whose genesis lay among its own fans, did the club backflip and, sheepishly, decide to ditch Greenwood.

Greenwood was never brought to trial, let alone convicted, but once again this is a matter of priorities. The club quite obviously felt his ability to score goals was more important than his character and attitude towards women. It had to be shamed and bombarded into reversing course.

So yes, all the optimistic words about progress for women in football are welcome. But can the men who still run the sport be trusted to lead that progress? I’d sooner choose myself to be goalkeeper in El Clasico.

Twitter: @SamClench

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Originally published as Astonishingly low act after unwanted kiss at World Cup final