UN Women has criticized the "totally unacceptable offensive comments and behavior" of the President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, about the kiss to the player Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup celebration, and has defended "tolerance zero" against "any form of abuse or harassment" in women's sport.
In a statement sent to Europa Press, the organization has claimed that the Spanish women's soccer team is the "undisputed world champion", for which it has claimed to put its skills and achievements "in the spotlight". However, he has regretted that some "comments and behaviors", such as those of Rubiales, "have made history much less worthy of celebration."
In this sense, UN Women has joined all those "who defend zero tolerance" against sexual abuse or harassment, "at any time and in any place in women's sport." "We add our voice to that of those who condemn all these actions, including those that took place in the final," she stressed, referring to the controversial kiss from the RFEF president.
Likewise, UN Women has welcomed "with satisfaction" FIFA's initiative to initiate disciplinary proceedings after "a clearly inappropriate act towards a sportswoman" in the final of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
"Women in sport are breaking barriers. At the 2023 World Cup, the captains wore armbands with messages of unity through sport and the end of violence against women. They showed solidarity with each other. Now we must show solidarity with them ", the organization has asked.
