Luis Rubiales, President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, was among the dignitaries on the … [+]
Amid the celebration of Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup, the behavior of Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has caught the eye. The 45 year old was among the figures on the podium giving out medals, and hugged, embraced, lifted and even kissed the players representing his country.
One incident in particular saw him pull in Spain’s number 10, Jennifer Hermoso, for a kiss on the lips. Viewers watching on both in the stadium and at home were stunned by the scenes, following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in Australia to claim their first ever Women’s World Cup title.
Speaking after the game on a live Instagram stream, Hermoso said, “I didn’t like it, eh? What could I do?”. Other players in the locker room were teasing the forward about the incident, with one male member of staff asking if Rubiales “used his tongue”.
It did not take long for social media footage of the incident to go viral, causing fury among many Spanish fans. On La Ser radio station, journalist Dani Garrido ranted, “It is improper because he is the President of the Federation and he cannot do that. I don’t remember an image of Rubiales holding Carvajal, Marco Asensio or Pedri by the face and kissing them when they won the Nations League”.
Journalists in Australia also asked Rubiales himself about the incident, without wanting to draw away from the achievement of the players. “The kiss with Jenni? Idiots are everywhere,” he told Radio MARCA. “When two people have an unimportant gesture of affection, we can’t listen to idiocy”.
Footage from locker room adds fuel to the fire
The bizarre events continued after the public ceremony and behind the scenes, with several players streaming their celebrations live on social media and, perhaps unwittingly, sharing footage of what was going on away from the cameras.
Footage from the locker room, shared via Salma Paralluelo’s live Instagram stream, shows Rubiales heading into the celebrations and explaining that the team would have an all-expenses paid trip to Ibiza, before adding, “and there, we’ll celebrate my wedding with Jenni!”.
With Rubiales seemingly unaware that his statements in the locker room were being streamed and made public to the world, he seemed cheery and to be enjoying the celebrations.
Media coverage reacts
There was also criticism of the Spanish media’s coverage of the incident. In some parts, media outlets likened it to the 2010 kiss between Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas and journalist Sara Carbonero. At the time, Casillas and Carbonero were dating and kissed on camera during a live television interview.
“A stolen kiss does not have to be a pleasant surprise. On the contrary. It is an intrusion,” wrote Nadia Tronchoni in El País in an opinion piece, slamming Rubiales for his behavior, continuing, “what a pity that such a beautiful day should end up being marred by this shabby machismo”.
On social media, #RubialesDimisión (”#RubialesResign”) was trending on Spain for hours after the awards ceremony. Outside of Spain, L’Equipe questioned whether there was an unknown relationship between the pair, with several media outlets questioning whether Rubiales could continue in his position.