Simon Hunter
THE SPANISH football player who was forcibly kissed by the chairman of Spain’s Football Federation after the team’s World Cup victory on Sunday has spoken out about the controversy.
Jennifer Hermoso has called for ‘exemplary measures’ to be taken against Luis Rubiales, after he embraced her without permission during the medal ceremony in the wake of Spain’s 1-0 win against England.
The actions of Rubiales have overshadowed the historic win for the Spain women’s team, and were not limited to the kiss. He was also caught on camera grabbing his crotch in an obscene gesture when the match ended, despite standing just feet from Queen Letizia and her daughter, the infanta Sofia.
Rubiales offered an apology earlier this week, but pressure has been rising on him to quit with figures including caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez weighing in on the row.
From the dressing room on Sunday, Hermoso was heard commenting on a live social media stream that she had not been happy about the kiss. “But what could I do?!” she said to teammates.
But it was not until Wednesday night that she released her official complaint about Rubiales’ actions, speaking via the union that represents Spanish women football players.
“My union Futpro, in coordination with my agency TMJ, is defending my interests and will be the point of contact in this matter,” she said in her statement.
Futpro itself added that it wanted the ‘necessary protocols to be implemented, protecting the rights of our players and taking exemplary measures’.
The statements contradicted quotes that were issued by the Federation itself on Monday, purportedly from Hermoso. In them, she spoke about her ‘great relationship’ with Rubiales, calling the kiss a ‘natural gesture of friendship and gratitude’.
The digital sports website Relevo published a story earlier this week claiming that these quotes were not from Hermoso but had been written by the Federation. The statements released last night by the player and the union would appear to back this claim.
Leftist political party Sumar has filed a complaint against Rubiales with the Consejo Superior de Deportes, Spain’s government sports council, as has the Professional Feminine Football League.
Spain’s culture and sports minister, Miquel Iceta, has also warned that if the Federation itself does not take measures against Rubiales, the central government will.
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