Spanish Football Chief Faces Controversy for Inappropriate Kiss with Female Player
“Spanish Football Federation President Acknowledges Mistake of Kissing Female Player After World Cup Win”
Following Spain’s historic victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, has found himself in controversy for kissing midfielder Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the awards ceremony immediately after the match.
The incident, which occurred just after Spain’s 1-0 win over England in the World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, has sparked calls for Rubiales to resign. Many critics on social media have accused him of sexism, while Spain’s Culture and Sports Minister, Miquel Iceta, deemed Rubiales’s actions “unacceptable” in the current climate of equality and respect for women.
In response to the backlash, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) released a video clip in which Rubiales apologized for his behavior and offered an explanation.
“I made a mistake, for sure. I have to accept it,” he admitted regarding the kiss. “In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened happened, in a very spontaneous way, with no bad faith from either side.” Rubiales claimed that both he and Hermoso saw it as a natural and normal gesture but acknowledged that it had caused commotion externally, leading to the need for an apology.
Rubiales also recognized the need for more careful conduct from someone in an official position like his and pledged to learn from the incident. He is a member of UEFA’s ruling executive committee.
In the video clip, Rubiales explained that his earlier harsh comments about his critics were made out of frustration. He had referred to those who criticized him as “idiots and stupid people” before boarding his flight out of Australia.
“I said [the criticism] seemed like idiocy – because, on the inside, nobody considered it important. But, on the outside, they had. So, I want to apologize to those people,” he clarified.
Despite the controversy, Rubiales expressed regret that the incident marred the celebrations following what he referred to as “the biggest success in our history in women’s football.”
