Spanish government wants RFEF President Luis Rubiales to “explain and apologise” his kiss to Jenni Hermoso

Luis Rubiales, the President of the Spanish Football Federation, caused controversy when he was captured on national television cameras kissing Spain’s Jenni Hermoso on the lips ahead of the World Cup trophy presentation on Sunday. Spain beat England 1-0 in Sydney thanks to a first half goal from Olga Carmona.

The media storm has been huge, and now the Spanish government has had their say, with Miquel Iceta, the Minister of Culture and Sport in Spain, saying that Rubiales should explain and even apologise for the incident: “the first thing he has to do is explain himself and give his reasons”, said Iceta, who called the kiss “unacceptable”.

“It is the logical and reasonable thing to do as it really is a special moment in Sydney, one full of emotions, but we are precisely the people with public responsibility who must take extreme care, as we are sending a message to society, and that message is equality for everyone, it is respect and therefore we must avoid any circumstances which can be considered in a tone of prevalence, it can’t be right that the one who forces a kiss is the one who is in charge”, explained the minister.

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‘I would like to do is hear the President’s explanations’ says MP

“Therefore”, he continued, “from that point of view, what I would like to do is hear the President’s explanations and reasons, because when he watches it back he will probably see that it wasn’t the correct thing to do.”

Iceta also added that in the final it was “a sporting moment” but also “a moment of equality, of rights and respect for women. We all have to be careful with our actions and attitudes. I think it is unacceptable to kiss a player on the lips to congratulate her and as I saw it, as I didn’t see it live, but what I’ve seen on social media, it must be commented upon.”

The Minister of Equality and Feminism of the Generalitat, the Catalan government, Tània Verge, lamented the kiss and highlighted the “rape culture”, calling the incident between Rubiales and Hermoso “an image of the rape culture. Both forcing a kiss and justifying it. Shameful and intolerable.”

Rubiales asked to step down by Minister

At the same time, the Catalan Secretary for Sport, Anna Caula, asked for Rubiales to step down from his position as head of the RFEF, saying he “should step down. He cannot tolerate nor pay any price for being an elite sportsperson. Football is still not looked upon as equal”.

The controversy surrounding the kiss has gone worldwide, with the press across the globe picking up on the incident. L’Équipe in France was one of the first, saying Rubiales “forcefully kissed the player on the lips. In Spain, nobody knows of a romance between the head of Spanish football and the Spain forward”. The New York Times did not hold back, calling the moment “a horrible reminder of many of the sexist scandals that have plagued Spanish women’s football”. Olé in Argentina called the kiss “a shameful move”.

What did Jenni Hermoso say about the kiss?

Jenni Hermoso, for her part, initially said that she “did not like it”, before a statement came from the RFEF on her behalf saying that It was a completely spontaneous mutual gesture due to the immense joy of winning a World Cup. The president and I have a great relationship; his behaviour towards all of us has been exemplary, and it was a natural expression of affection and gratitude. There’s no need to overanalyse a gesture of friendship.”

Curiously, that was almost the exact same message put out by Rubiales himself on Spanish radio, who said that there are idiots everywhere... [it was] a show of care... when two people have a showing of care for each other of no importance, we can’t listen to the idiots. We are champions and I’ll stick with that.”