Luis Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, is facing increasing demands for his resignation following his apology for forcibly kissing Jennifer Hermoso during the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony. His apology has been deemed inadequate, leading to mounting criticism.
The federation has announced that an Extraordinary General Assembly will be held on Friday to address the incident formally. Internal proceedings regarding Rubiales’ actions have also been initiated.
The global condemnation of Rubiales’ behavior has been strong. Yolanda Diaz, Spain’s acting second deputy minister, has called for Rubiales’ resignation, stating that the incident constitutes harassment and assault against a woman. Other government officials, including acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez, have also criticized Rubiales and called for further action to be taken.
This controversy comes amid ongoing protests against the federation and head coach Jorge Vilda, with players accusing them of fostering an unprofessional and toxic work environment. The incident involving Rubiales is seen as a reflection of the toxic culture within the federation.
Efforts by Rubiales and his allies to address the situation have reportedly failed. Rubiales attempted to persuade Hermoso to appear in an apology video with him, and Vilda approached Hermoso’s family on Rubiales’ behalf multiple times. However, a statement claiming the forced kiss was a “mutual gesture” was not confirmed to be from Hermoso herself.
Hermoso has only briefly addressed the situation, stating on Instagram, “Yeah, I did not enjoy that.”
Rubiales’ actions have also received criticism from prominent women’s soccer players outside of Spain. Megan Rapinoe, a star on the U.S. women’s national team, expressed her thoughts on the incident, highlighting the long-standing issues women’s soccer players have had to endure. Caroline Seger, the Sweden captain, called for change within the federation and condemned the incident, while Iker Casillas, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper for Spain’s men’s team in 2010, indirectly called for Rubiales’ resignation through a social media post.
