SSpain’s football world champion Jennifer Hermoso gave a glimpse into her inner life almost a week after the kiss scandal at the World Cup final in Sydney. When the association president Luis Rubiales kissed her mouth, she felt “vulnerable and a victim of an assault, an impulsive, macho act that was inappropriate and that I did not agree to,” Hermoso wrote on Instagram: “I was just not respected. “
Rubiales was criticized around the world in the days after the final but refused to step down from his post at an emergency meeting of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Friday. As a result, all 23 world champions and 58 other players declared that they would no longer play for the national team under the current leadership of the association.
“Luis Rubiales’ words in explaining the unfortunate incident are categorically false and part of the manipulative culture he created himself,” Hermoso continued in her lengthy statement never took place, much less was the kiss consensual. I want to reiterate, as I did then, that this act was not to my liking.”
“Manipulative, hostile and controlling”
She wanted to make it clear that no one deserves to be a victim of this type of non-consensual behavior, for which she has “zero tolerance”: “I am sure that as world champions we have a culture that is so manipulative, hostile and controlling, didn’t deserve.”
This type of incident adds to a “long list of situations that we players have reported on in recent years. This is just the straw that broke the camel’s back and the whole world got to see it. Attitudes like these have been part of everyday life in our national team for years, ”explained Spain’s record goalscorer.
On Friday evening, Spain’s soccer world champions announced that they would go on the barricades against the national association RFEF and its controversial president Luis Rubiales: The 23 players who won the World Cup final in Sydney last Sunday no longer want to play under the current leadership of the association enter their country.
“Following everything that happened at the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony, all players who have signed this text will not honor a next call-up if the current lead is maintained,” the world champions wrote in a statement released Friday The letter was circulated by the players’ union Futpro and they unanimously supported Jennifer Hermoso.A total of 81 current and former Spanish players signed the letter.
Rubiales apologized the day after the final, but declined to take any further action. At an extraordinary general meeting of the RFEF on Friday, the 46-year-old refused to step down from the presidency despite global outrage. At the crisis meeting in Madrid, he presented himself as a victim of a “hunt” and vehemently refused to resign.
Late on Friday evening, the federation published a statement on its website defending Rubiales and threatening lawsuits against Hermoso and Futpro. The key point is Hermoso’s statement that she did not agree to the kiss and did not lift Rubiales, as claimed by him.
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