The players of the Spanish soccer team made history last Sunday by proclaiming themselves world champions. However, this was not the only news that transpired then. During the medal ceremony, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, gave Jenni Hermoso a kiss. A gesture that, in a matter of minutes, triggered a barrage of criticism on social networks and among various political and sports establishments that will end this Friday with the resignation of Rubiales. We review the facts and reactions that the kiss has generated throughout this week.
2:25 p.m. Spanish time, Sunday, August 20, Sydney. The players of the national team begin to collect the world champion medals. Rubiales receives each of the Spanish athletes with big hugs. In a moment of effusiveness, she grabs Hermoso's face with both hands and kisses him on the mouth. He then sends her off with two pats on the back. A few moments before, Rubiales has been recorded putting his hand to his crotch in the box.
Minutes later, the team is celebrating their victory in the locker room. Hermoso is shown in a live broadcast on Instagram when some colleagues ask him about the event with Rubiales. "Hey! But I didn't like it", comments the team's top scorer, who then adds: "And what do I do? Look at me, look at me...".
8:55 p.m. Social networks have been filled with comments about Rubiales' action and Hermoso issues a first reaction about the event. In a statement provided by the RFEF to EFE, the player stated that the kiss was "a totally spontaneous mutual gesture due to the immense joy of winning a World Cup." "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," she says.
Hours later, Rubiales is asked about the event in a live interview. The president of the RFEF relativizes the gesture: “It is a peak of friends celebrating something. We are not for bullshit ”, he explains at Cope, around midnight on Sunday. In the same remarks, he also calls his critics "idiots," "stupid" and "assholes."
Around noon on Monday, the controversy has gained weight and some political personalities have asked Rubiales for explanations. Finally, the president of the RFEF sends a video to the media in which he apologizes. "Surely, I was wrong. I have to admit it," he says. "Without any bad faith, what happened happened, very spontaneously, without bad faith on either side."
Some media published new information about the video on Tuesday: Rubiales unsuccessfully tried to get the player Jenni Hermoso to appear in it. In addition, the alleged statements of the player released by the RFEF on the same Sunday would not have come out of Hermoso's mouth, according to Relevo. RFEF sources "categorically" deny the latter, but they do acknowledge that Hermoso "preferred not to make a video."
The acting President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, receives the players of the national team on Tuesday at 9 am. In the meeting, Sánchez and Rubiales receive a cold greeting. Around 2:00 p.m., the socialist president described Rubiales' behavior as "unacceptable" and his apology as "insufficient" and inadequate.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hermoso announces that he will not make any statements about the kiss and that he leaves the defense of his interests to the FUTPRO union and its agency TMJ. In a statement, the union expresses a "firm and resounding condemnation of conduct that violates the dignity of women" and calls on "the RFEF to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players and adopt exemplary measures".
The latest news on the Rubiales case is from Thursday at noon and comes from FIFA. The highest soccer body has announced the opening of a disciplinary file against the president of the Spanish Federation, who could have violated article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. It seems that different scenarios are opening up for Luis Rubiales: resignation, a motion of no confidence within the Federation itself, an internal disqualification, or that the case falls into the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
