Many people know the FIFA World Cup, the popular international football tournament made for many countries of the world. It is usually known for its men’s games, while the womens’ cup is often less widespread. At large, the FIFA World Cup is a football competition between men’s and women’s national teams of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. The men’s World Cup has been held every four years since the very first tournament that took place in Uruguay in 1930. On the other hand, the women’s World Cup began later, in 1991, where the initial tournament took place in China. Overall, there have been nine women’s World Cups, including this year’s one, where Spain won. However, this year, the victory of the Spanish team wasn’t the most memorable moment of the event, but rather what happened during the celebration of it.
The Spanish football team finished as winners after beating England with the score of 1-0 in the World Cup final. Luis Rubiales, a former football player, president for the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and a vice president for the Union of European Football Associations, was a part of the award ceremony, following the team’s victory, where he congratulated each player. Jennifer Hermoso was the captain of the Spanish team that had just won. During the medal ceremony, when Hermoso came up to him, Rubiales hugged her, and then proceeded to push her face up against his and kiss her on the lips for a brief, yet uncomfortable moment. After that, he simply patted her on the back as proceeded to keep walking. This was a very uneasy instant for Hermoso, and she publicly voiced her concerns after the event.
In the changing rooms after the ceremony, during an Instagram live, Hermoso said, “I didn’t like it, eh,” expressing her opinion on the matter. She described the situation as her “hugging Luis Rubiales and telling him: “We’ve done it.” She then said that he told her the victory was “thanks to her,” then proceeded to put his hands on her head and kiss her on the lips, and that she remembers nothing else.” Later, Hermoso made a formal complaint for sexual assault and coercion, after which prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Rubiales. Hermoso claimed that the kiss made her feel “vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist act.” Hermoso’s lawyer, Carla Vall i Duran, emphasized that she fully supports Hermoso, and she told reporters that “we maintain what we’ve said from the beginning. It was a non consensual kiss.” Rubiales ended up being summoned for questioning by judge Francisco de Jorge.
On the contrary of Hermoso’s claims, Rubiales has affirmed that the kiss was mutual and consensual. Additionally, he stated, “How am I not going to respect her if I asked her before [the kiss],” and that “she left [the podium] laughing and slapping me twice on the side.” During a court hearing, he further said that the story of the kiss being sexual assault is an ‘anecdote,’ an unreliable description of the situation. He repeatedly brushed off the idea that the kiss was inappropriate or sexual. Once again, he declared that “it was a kiss between two friends celebrating something,” and he dismissed the people that saw it as anything else. He added: “Let’s ignore them and enjoy the good things.” In an interview with TV broadcaster Piers Morgan, Rubiales, once more, mentioned that his intentions were “noble and 100% nonsexual. He said that “there was no harm, no sexual content, no aggression, nothing like that… I made a mistake, I apologize, but let’s be clear, under no circumstance is this sexual aggression.” He has very explicitly stated that the kiss was friendly and mutual, and that Jennifer Hermoso is biased.
Both parties have clearly expressed their views on the situation, and this has led to a lawsuit, where Rubiales was summoned for testimony. There was the possibility of him being accused of sexual assault, and he could’ve faced up to four years in prison if that was the case. He is currently facing a charge of sexual assault and coercion, however it’s not clear if he will be going to prison. In the end, he got a 200 meter restraining order prohibiting him from coming close to Jenni Hermoso, from the Spain’s High Court in September.
Overall, Luis Rubiales has had different claims from Jennifer Hermoso, leading to a lot of controversy in the media. This has affected both sides, as Rubiales has resigned from being the president of the Spanish Football Federation, and allegedly, Hermoso’s public image as a professional football player has been tarnished due to this situation.
