On Sunday, the Spanish national football team won a historic World Cup gold after defeating England in the final in Australia. The success has been overshadowed by the scandalous scenes that unfolded during the medal ceremony after the match, when Spanish confederation president Luis Rubiales kissed player Jennifer Hermoso.
The incident was caught on film and has led to strong reactions. On Thursday, Spanish media reported that Luis Rubiales is resigning from his post, something that was denied on Friday.
– Politicians have referred to this act as sexual violence without consent, assault… These people are trying to assassinate me in public and I will defend myself like all Spaniards, in court. I will take action against these people, he said at a press conference where he attacked both the media and politicians, according to The soccer channel.
He stated that he will remain in the post and claimed that the kiss was “mutual”.
Boycott the national team
Later in the day, Jennifer Hermoso spoke about the incident and said that she did not at all agree to be kissed by Luis Rubiales, writes the AFP news agency.
“I want to clarify that at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and in no case did I try to lift up the president,” she says in a statement from the players’ union.
“I do not tolerate my word being questioned and even less that they make up words that I have not said”.
Hermoso and 55 other Spanish players state in a statement that they will not play for the national team again under the current management of the federation.
The next planned international match for Spain is the meeting with Sweden in the Nations League tournament on September 22.