Spain’s world champion team revolts against federation president Luis Rubiales as he refuses to resign over unwanted kiss
Spain’s World Cup-winning squad is now in open revolt against their nation’s football boss as he refuses to resign after kissing a player.
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Spain’s World Cup-winning squad is in open revolt against the head of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, with the entire group resigning from the national team.
The drastic measure came after a defiant Rubiales refused to quit his job on Friday.
“After the perplexity of the speech delivered by the president of the Spanish FA, Mr Rubiales, the players of the senior team, recent world champions, in support of Jenni Hermoso, want to express their firm condemnation of behaviours that have violated the dignity of women,” the 23 World Cup players said, in statement released by their union, Futpro.
“We want to end this statement by asking for real changes, both sporting and structural, that help the national team to continue growing, in order to continue this great success.
“It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event is managing to tarnish the greatest sporting success of Spanish women’s football.
“After everything that happened during the World Cup award ceremony, we want to state that every player that has signed this statement will not go back to the national team under the current leaders.”
Rubiales ignited a storm of controversy after last Sunday’s World Cup final in Sydney when he kissed one of the Spanish players, Jenni Hermoso, on the lips without her consent during the medal presentation.
Hermoso later said she “didn’t like” it, and called for Rubiales to be held accountable.
“We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable,” she said in a joint statement with her union.
Earlier, the Spanish football federation had issued a statement, purportedly from Hermoso herself, defending the kiss as a “natural” and “mutual” gesture of “friendship”, and claiming Rubiales’ behaviour towards all the team’s players had been “outstanding”.
That statement was later revealed to have been written by the federation without Hermoso’s input or knowledge.
Rubiales, for his part, initially reacted to the backlash by labelling his critics “idiots and stupid people”, “dickheads and dumbasses”, and “losers”.
On Monday he reversed course somewhat, conceding in a video message that he’d been “completely wrong” – though he still insisted the kiss was “without bad intention”.
“In the moment, we saw it as natural, but outside a commotion has formed,” said Rubiales.
“I have to apologise, learn from this, and understand that when you are president you have to be more careful.”
Pressure continued to build throughout the week, with prominent politicians, including Spain’s Prime Minister, calling Rubiales’ actions “unacceptable” and his apology “insufficient”.
On Friday, Rubiales appeared before the general assembly of the Spanish federation, where he was expected to stand down. Instead he did the opposite, unleashing an extraordinary spray in which he portrayed himself as a victim of “fake feminism”.
“I will not resign!” he shouted repeatedly.
“It was a spontaneous kiss. It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric and consensual. This is the key to all of the criticism, of the campaign that has been mounted in this country: that it was without consent. No. It was with consent.
“A consensual peck is enough to get me out of here? I will fight until the end.”
Among those who applauded Rubiales’ refusal to resign was Hermoso’s coach with the national team, Jorge Vilda.
Official Announcement. August 25th,2023. pic.twitter.com/lQb18IGsk2
— Jenn1 Hermos0 (@Jennihermoso) August 25, 2023
In the union’s statement on Friday, Hermoso hit back at the idea that the kiss was “consensual”.
“I want to clarify that at no time did I consent to the kiss,” she said.
“I don’t tolerate that my word is questioned, much less that words are invented that I haven’t said.”
An extensive statement released early Saturday morning further detailed her outrage.
“The situation shocked me given the celebrations that were taking place at the moment, and with the passage of time and after delving a little deeper into those initial feelings, I feel the need to report this incident because I believe that no person, in any work, sports, or social setting should be a victim of these types of non-consensual behaviours,” Hermoso’s statement read.
“I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out-of-place act without any consent on my part.
Simply put, I was not respected.
She said it was the latest in a “long list of situations” players had dealt with in recent years.
“For all these reasons, I want to reinforce the position I took from the beginning, considering that I do not have to support the person who has committed this action against my will, without respecting me, at a historic moment for me and for women’s sports in this country,” she said.
“Under no circumstances can it be my responsibility to bear the consequences of conveying something I do not believe in, which is why I have refused the pressures received.”
‘It’s over’: Fed-up Spanish stars revolt
On Thursday football’s global governing body, FIFA, revealed it had opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales for potentially breaching its “basic rules of decent conduct”.
After the FA president’s speech on Friday, Spain’s National Sports Council, a government agency, announced he had been suspended. Rubiales will now have to explain his conduct to an administrative tribunal. The process could end with his ejection from the presidency.
“He had the option of making a U-turn and, since he has not done so, the government is going to stop it, is going to stop that car,” said the council’s president, Victor Francos.
Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Teresa Ribera, told Politico “no one doing and saying this can be in a position to represent any institution”.
“No women can be used in such a way. No one can accept an invitation from his male mates to take this as the’ normal’ way to behave. Rubiales should not stay in office any longer, and the government will take any actions to make him step down,” said Ms Ribera.
Meanwhile a number of Hermoso’s teammates went public with their support for her.
“This is unacceptable. It’s over. With you, teammate Jenni Hermoso,” said veteran star Alexia Putellas, a two-time winner of the Ballon d’Or Feminin, which is awarded to the world’s best female player.
“Everyone saw what happened. The victim is you. I’m with you, friend,” posted defender Irene Paredes.
“We are with you, Jenni,” said Olga Carmona, who scored Spain’s goal in the final.
“It’s over! With you until death Jenni Hermoso,” said goalkeeper Cata Coll.
“There are limits that cannot be crossed, and we cannot tolerate this. We are with you, teammate,” said midfielder Aitana Bonmati.
“Enough lies. You are not alone, Jenni,” said reserve goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez.
“We are with you, Jenni,” said forward Athenea del Castillo.
The seven players above were all part of the matchday squad for the World Cup final.
Several Spanish players who missed the World Cup, having protested against the national team’s treatment of the squad and unsuccessfully demanded Vilda’s resignation, also spoke out on Friday.
The protesting group initially included 15 players, three of whom returned to the team for the World Cup, while the rest remain in the wilderness.
“Not a lot of time had to pass to see that what was demanded a few months ago was not a simple tantrum,” said defender Mapi Leon, who’s in the latter category.
“The images speak for themselves, and I don’t think there is much more to add. It is unacceptable. For all the women – with you Jenni.”
“It’s over. With you Jenni,” said midfielder Patri Guijarro.
“Unfortunate it had to reach this point (for people) to believe that the complaints from months ago were real.”
“It’s over. Unacceptable what happened this morning. It is unfortunate that it’s had to come to this for people to believe that the complaints in recent months had a reason. We are with you, Jenni,” said goalkeeper Sandra Panos.
“It’s over. We are with you Jenni,” said forward Amaiur Sarriegi.
“The events that have occurred in recent days portray the problems that we spoke out about a few months ago: a serious structural problem of sexism and undervaluing women’s footballers. Enough.”
Leading figures in women’s football outside Spain have also been vocal.
“I’m disgusted by the public actions of Luis Rubiales,” said American striker Alex Morgan, a former co-captain of her country.
“I stand by Jenni Hermoso and the Spanish players. Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players’ lives, but instead it’s overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation.”
“Proud to see women, men, media and politics in Spain finally unite to change something that hasn’t been right for years,” said Dutch international Merel van Dongen.
“It’s time for justice.”
“This fight is not only Spain’s fight. This is a fight for everyone against toxic culture in football,” said Swedish international Hedvig Lindahl.
“Rubiales is a symbol of something much bigger, the system that needs to go.”
Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic, a Swiss international who plays her club football for Barcelona, posted a message in both English and Spanish.
“I’m freaking out. It’s over. F*** this bulls***. F*** all these f***ing lies. This is insane. I’m with you always, Jenni,” Crnogorcevic said.
“With you Jenni! This is all lies. We all see what really happened,” said another Barcelona player, Norwegian Caroline Hansen.
‘My ears are bleeding’: Men join the pile-on
Familiar names in the men’s game have been among Rubiales’ critics as well, though fewer men than women have spoken thus far.
“Shame,” Spanish goalkeeping legend Iker Casillas posted after the president’s defiant speech.
“We should have spent these five days talking about our girls! Of the joy they gave us all! To appreciate a title that we’d never won in women’s football.”
“My ears are bleeding,” said another Spanish keeper, David de Gea.
“It is truly embarrassing what is happening. From representing our country with that vulgarity, to distorting statements about the victim and, above all, blaming her and playing the victim,” said Spanish defender Hector Bellerin, before adding that such acts “can’t go unpunished”.
“The narcissist never believes they have made a mistake. They are able to lie, manipulate the truth and make the victim guilty in order to retain their power over others.”
And Borja Iglesias, a young striker whose international career is just getting off the ground, declared he would boycott the Spanish team.
“As a footballer and as a person, I do not feel represented by what happened today,” Iglesias said after Rubiales’ press conference.
“I have made the decision not to return to the national team until things change and this type of act does not go unpunished.”
Originally published as Spain’s world champion team revolts against federation president Luis Rubiales as he refuses to resign over unwanted kiss
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