Spanish soccer official, Luis Rubiales, kissed Spain’s official soccer team player Jenni Hermoso during the post-medal ceremony after winning the Women’s World Cup. After the incident, Rubiales was suspended for 90 days from any future business with FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association).
As of September 11, 2023, Rubiales has resigned.
On August 20, 2023, in Sydney, Australia, during the celebration of Spain’s first Women’s World Cup Trophy, Rubiales kissed Hermoso, allegedly, without her consent.
Rubiales has now resigned at the request of the acting president, Pedro Rocha of FIFA, and the Spanish government. He is against his suspension.
Hermoso has support from the Spanish government and the Spanish Association of Professional Soccer Players. The association apologizes, “… those actions do not reflect at values of the Spanish society.”
Hermoso claims that there was no consent to the kiss. After the incident, she feels “vulnerable and the victim of an aggression… categorically false and part of the manipulative culture he’s created.”
Hermoso added on social media, “I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me…”
Contradicting this, Rubiales claims that he asked “for a little kiss,” to which she agreed. He also describes it as, “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual.”
He claims that the kiss was “the same I could give one of my daughters.”
After the announcement of his 90-day suspension, he called the situation “idiotic” and refused to resign.
Although, under the pressure of others, he reluctantly resigned from his position.
The coach of Spain’s official women’s soccer team, Jorge Vilda, defends Rubiales. However, after his words of defense and sympathy for Rubiales, he was fired from his position as coach 2 weeks later.
There is no mention of the fallout in his termination document, but fans rumor that it is related to it.
Although, what might seem like losses, it might be a win that the players have been waiting on for a while now.
On September 17, 2023, women soccer players in Spain plan to go on strike. The reason for this is continuous mistreatment and low pay.
Women on the team claim that their former coach, Vilda, had “inadequate coaching methods.” They also added that he was a “dictator” to the team.
In Spain, the minimum salary for male soccer players is $197,000. Women’s minimum salary on the other hand is $17,400, significantly lower than their male counterparts.
It has been released that players have been negotiating for a minimum salary of $24,627. Their original goal was $26,768 but realized that it wouldn’t be possible. But in a recent announcement, Spain doesn’t want to negotiate with any amount above $21,000.
In account of recent events, it is a true statement that gender differences have a big impact on the soccer industry. Fans, staff, and players alike aspire to change this by protesting, going on strike, and simply not showing up.
