During this summer’s international games, Spain showed tremendous skill and spirit, taking home the World Cup Trophy and declaring them the best women’s soccer team in the world. But during the trophy ceremony, their moment was darkened by Luis Rubiales, the President of the Royal Spanish Federation. During the presentation, he kissed Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso without consent, on the mouth.
There was widespread and immediate backlash to the troubling incident. With the kiss being captured on video, millions could see firsthand what had happened, and many of us were stunned. While we know these things happen too often, the audacity to do this on such a large platform was wild!
Rubiales released a statement essentially stating he and Hermoso have a beautiful relationship, that the kiss wasn’t weird, it was just spontaneous, but sorry if I offended people. It was a strange response. Hermoso has maintained that the kiss was nonconsensual. Now, Rubiales has finally resigned, making that announcement over the weekend. FIFA already suspended him for 90 days, barring him from participating in any activities, which included voting for potential host countries for future World Cups. This move comes after Rubiales initially refused to step down, saying he was being attacked by “false feminists.” Women tended to disagree. All of the women on the championship Spanish team, and other Spanish soccer stars, refused to play if Rubiales remained in his position.
While Rubiales’s resignation is seemingly the end of this spectacle, the reactions throughout this ordeal have been troubling and speak to a continued culture of sexism. While many prominent male leaders along with women of all stripes showed support for Hermoso, including Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, some men still seemed to be a fan of Rubiales.
When Rubiales attempted to paint Hermoso as the villain in this story, saying she was lying about their interaction, the Spanish Soccer Federation initially decided to support and defend him. And at the General Assembly of the Spanish Football Federation meeting last month, the mostly male audience reportedly cheered when he said that he would not resign. Big yikes. But are we really surprised? Is it at all surprising that during a woman’s moment of victory, a powerful man saw the best or only way to celebrate her was to cross her physical boundaries? Are we shocked that he then reacted so poorly to criticism, choosing to attack and defame her in response? Are we surprised that other powerful men and the organizations they make up took his side? Every part of this is so familiar.
Hopefully, this latest news sends a loud message across the soccer world and the sports world at large that these actions are not tolerable and there will be consequences.
(featured image: Oscar J. Barroso / AFP7 via Getty Images)
