Andrew Bolt: Luis Rubiales sexist World Cup behaviour put Spain’s reputation on the line

How can a man like Luis Rubiales stay president of the Spanish Football Federation when he’s shown not even Spain’s top women’s players are safe from an unwelcome mauling?

Is Spain Europe’s most sexist country? While Luis Rubiales stays president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the answer is si, ciertamente.

Few people will soon remember who won the FIFA women’s world cup in Sydney a week ago.

But the world knows Rubiales took the prize that day for the most brazen sexist.

This is Spain’s problem because the federation (RFEF) has so far stood by him, as if most Spaniards don’t mind a man who can’t keep his lips and hands to himself, even with millions watching on TV.

Luis Rubiales hoists Spain's Athenea del Castillo Beivide over his shoulder. Picture: David Gray

Lord knows, I’m not woke, but it was already bad that Rubiales got on the pitch after Spain’s win over England and hoisted forward Athenea del Castillo caveman-style over his shoulder, her bum in the air, like he owned her.

Worse is when he celebrated by grabbing his crotch, the macho hombre – and within groping distance of Spain’s Queen and her 16-year-old daughter.

But he capped all that on the victory dais when he grabbed midfielder Jenni Hermoso by the face, pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the lips.

“I didn’t like it,” she said.

Rubiales has been slammed for grabbing and kissing star player Jenni Hermoso.

How can a man like that stay president of a federation meant to represent both male and female players? How, when he’s shown that not even Spain’s top women’s players are safe from an unwelcome mauling?

No wonder all 23 members of Spain’s cup-winning squad say they won’t play for Spain again while he’s in charge.

It seemed Rubiales would be forced out in days for conduct that would have had a shopkeeper in Australia face charges had he tried it on with his staff. After all, he’d been roasted even by Spain’s acting prime minister.

But on Friday, Rubiales fronted an RFEF emergency general assembly and four times yelled he wouldn’t resign – and the largely male audience actually applauded.

Rubiales accused Hermoso of lying – claimed she’d lifted him off his feet and said yes when he asked for a kiss. The footage doesn’t show her lifting him.

Worse, quotes attributed to Hermoso and distributed to the media – that the kiss was a “mutual gesture” – were made up by the RFEF’s communication department, yet the RFEF is now threatening to sue Hermoso for defamation.

You don’t do that unless you think Spain’s millions of football fans back you.

That’s why Spain’s reputation is on the line, and only Rubiales’s sacking can fix it.