MADRID — The leader of Spain’s soccer federation marred the nation’s Women’s World Cup victory after kissing a participant on the lips right through the medal rite, drawing complaint for irrelevant habits in a recreation that has struggled to conquer sexism.
The Spanish executive and the international gamers’ union condemned the conduct of Luis Rubiales on Monday, a day after Spain’s 1-0 win over England. The soccer federation led via Rubiales sought to downplay the incident via a remark it attributed to the participant he kissed, then later launched a video by which Rubiales apologized.
Immediately after Spain’s victory, Rubiales grabbed his crotch in a victory gesture — apparently oblivious to 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofía status close by. He later kissed participant Jenni Hermoso on the lips right through the medal and trophy rite on the box, drawing undesirable consideration clear of the birthday party and souring the nation’s greatest day for girls’s soccer.
The kiss used to be surprising given the recreation’s long-standing allegations of sexual misconduct via male soccer presidents and coaches in opposition to feminine gamers on nationwide groups. Two of the 32 World Cup groups, Haiti and Zambia, needed to maintain the factor whilst qualifying for the event co-hosted via Australia and New Zealand.
Spain’s performing minister for sports activities and tradition Miquel Iceta informed public broadcaster RNE “it is unacceptable to kiss a player on the lips to congratulate her.” The international gamers’ union known as the kiss “deeply lamentable.”
On Sunday, Spain’s executive equality minister had an excellent more potent reaction.
“It is a form of sexual violence that women suffer on a daily basis, and which has been invisible so far, and which we should not normalize,” Irene Montero stated wrote Sunday on X, the social media platform previously referred to as Twitter.
The Spanish soccer federation launched a remark past due Sunday, attributed to Hermoso, to check out to settle the controversy.
“It was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture due to the immense joy of winning a World Cup,” Hermoso stated in the federation’s remark. “The president and I have a great relationship, his behavior with all of us has been excellent and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude.”
But on Monday the federation launched a video remark of Rubiales apologizing and acknowledging he “surely made a mistake” however in “a moment of maximum effusiveness.”
“When you are president of an institution as important as the federation, you have to be more careful,” Rubiales stated in the video.
Rubiales, 45, led the international gamers’ union’s Spanish associate for 8 years ahead of being elected to guide the nationwide soccer federation in 2018. The Spanish squad used to be in near-mutiny final yr on account of some gamers’ court cases about the tradition below trainer Jorge Vilda.
After the recreation, when Hermoso handed alongside the line of soccer dignitaries to gather her medal, Rubiales put his palms to her head and kissed her on the lips. He additionally hugged a number of different gamers and put his arm round Queen Letizia of Spain.
In an Instagram video in the dressing room after the incident, the gamers screamed and laughed whilst observing the kiss being replayed on a telephone.
Hermoso will also be noticed giggling and shouting, “But I didn’t like it!” Asked via different gamers what she used to be doing, she shouted, “Look at me, look at me,” intimating she couldn’t do a lot about it.
FIFPRO, the Netherlands-based gamers’ union, took a harsh view of Rubiales’ movements.
“It is deeply lamentable that such a special moment for the players of the Spain national team that was taking place before a global television audience should be stained by the inappropriate conduct of an individual in a role carrying so much responsibility,” the union stated in a remark.
“Uninitiated and uninvited physical gestures towards players are not appropriate or acceptable in any context. This is especially true when players are put in a position of vulnerability because a physical approach or gesture is initiated by a person who holds power over them.”
Rubiales is also a UEFA vice chairman and used to be the European soccer frame’s maximum senior elected consultant at the ultimate in Australia.
Video clips filmed after the ultimate whistle of Sunday’s fit display Rubiales celebrating the victory in the entrance row of an unique phase close to the queen of Spain and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Rubiales jumped with each palms in the air, pointing with each index palms towards the box, then in short grabbed his crotch together with his proper hand.
The former participant has a key position in wooing soccer officers over the subsequent yr whilst seeking to safe webhosting rights for the males’s World Cup in 2030. Spain leads a joint bid with Portugal, Morocco and, recently, Ukraine for the 48-team event and is liked to win subsequent yr’s choice.
UEFA and FIFA didn’t right away reply Monday to requests for remark about Rubiales’s habits.
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Dunbar reported from Geneva.
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Associated Press reporter Ciaran Giles contributed to this document.
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AP Women’s World Cup protection: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup
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