In Spain, despite the forced kiss of the president of the federation to the player Jenni Hermoso after the victory of La Roja, Luis Rubiales has decided not to resign and speaks of a gesture ” consented “. This is what he said at an extraordinary general meeting held on Friday, August 25. A speech described as lunar ” and D'” unacceptable by some as messages of support for the player and testimonials multiply.
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In a speech that many call ” lunar », Luis Rubiales apologizes for his attitude during this final but castigates a cabal against him and above all, he affirms that the forced kiss to Jenni Hermoso during the delivery of the World Cup was consented to, which the player denies. A very particular counter-attack when a complaint for sexual assault was sent to the Spanish courts and Fifa opened an investigation.
So in Spain, only one watchword: solidarity with Jenni Hermoso who denies the words of Rubiales. The double golden ball Alexia Putellas expressed her indignation. The players of La Roja are beginning to break the silence and according to Onda Cero radio, the world champions will give up the selection as long as the direction of the federation does not change, reports our correspondent in Madrid, Pierre Chaperon.
In the streets of Madrid too the shock prevails: for Sonia, in her fifties, the decision of Luis Rubiales surprised her: ” I didn’t believe it. I was speechless. He blamed that poor girl again. It is a clearly macho speech that he had. It makes no sense. Many countries are wondering what is going on. What image do we give? “Same story for Carmen, 27, who believes that the attitude of Luis Rubiales could serve as a trigger:” I believe that more than a blow against violence against women, he proves us right. Because with his Cro-Magnon attitudes with what he did during the game, then the excuse, then backtracking on his excuses. I believe that more than a blow, it can give momentum. »
“ The reaction is always to minimize the scope of the gesture »
Sports researcher Sandy Montanola explains how abusers systematically justify their actions: “ The reaction is always to minimize the impact of the gesture, it’s to try to normalize it in the end. That is to say, to act both as if the sporting milieu is a milieu apart; a recreational environment – that is to say with the victory and the atmosphere that there can be – as if all that could come to justify this behavior. Or the other reaction is to claim to be a victim either of feminism or of opponents who would resent the position one occupies. It must be remembered that sport remains a professional environment like the others, therefore with rules. »
For the researcher, this gesture symbolizes an entire system: “ What we see here is that there is nevertheless a relationship of domination between people who have a hierarchical link, therefore between a president of a federation – and this is also the case for coaches – then players. It then remains complicated for athletes to be able to denounce people on whom they themselves are dependent, either for their career or because they are part of a collective. »
An act that must be punished for leading by example »
For Candice Prévost, a former professional football player, there needs to be something for example: ” Luis Rubiales said it wasn’t necessarily appropriate because it was visible. But what does that mean? Does this mean that potentially, if it is not visible, it is appropriate? In fact, yes. Whether visible or invisible, it remains very serious and it must be punished to set an example and to simply stop such behavior. We are in 2023, and we have not yet, for me, celebrated enough the victory of the Spaniards. He completely erased that victory. And I find that unacceptable. »
And 81 Spanish players, including the 23 world champions, have decided in a press release to boycott the Spanish team as long as the direction of the federation does not change.
The Spanish government began on Saturday August 26 a procedure for the suspension of Luis Rubiales and shows its concern, several presidents of regional federations in Spain have resigned. For its part, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) described as ” lies the charges against its president. ” The RFEF and the president (Luis Rubiales) will prove every lie published by anyone on behalf of the player, or, if so, by the player herself “Said the body in a press release overnight from Friday to Saturday.
Read alsoForced kiss: refusing to leave, the boss of Spanish football causes an uproar
(and with AFP)