Spanish Football Association President Luis Rubiales sparked controversy after he was seen kissing Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation in Sydney after Spain defeated England 1-0.
Rubiales was on the stage with other soccer world leaders, including President Gianni Infantino, the Queen of Spain, Queen Letizia, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who were ready to congratulate the Spanish women’s football Stars.
Hermoso claimed in an Instagram live video that she did not like Rubiales’s kiss and was not expecting it, but it was because of the emotion of the moment.
Furthermore, Hermoso said there was nothing she could have done about the kiss.
Spanish politician Irene Montero stated that the kiss is an act of sexual violence that women suffer on a daily basis.
Another politician, Adrian Barbon, claimed it was a lack of respect and abuse that neither the moment nor the euphoria justified the incident.
Rubiales laughed off the criticism by claiming it was a peck on the lips between two friends celebrating making history, he also urged people to ignore the media’s portrayal of the video as a kiss.
A picture was also posted online showing Rubiales planting a kiss on the goalscorer of the final, Olga Carmona, who lost her father before the final.
He also entered the dressing room and told the players that the Football Federation would pay for a trip to Ibiza to witness the marriage between him and Hermoso.
Luis Rubiales is also facing a lot of criticism after a video circulated online showing the president grabbing his testicles next to Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter Sofia.
Spain won the 2023 FIFA Women World Cup despite ongoing issues behind the scenes, where a lot of players raised concerns about coach Jorge Vilda.
Despite the complaints made by Spain’s senior players, Rubiales voiced his support for the manager, who only selected three players out of the 15 senior players.
Who is Luis Rubiales?
The Spanish President was born on August 23, 1977, in the city of Las Palmas, Spain, and he is currently 45 years old.
He was a former professional footballer who played as a center back. Rubiales started his youth career with Motril in 1991 and left in 1993 to join Valencia.
Luis made 53 La Liga appearances in three seasons. He retired in 2010 and was elected president of the Spanish Football Federation in 2018.
One of his biggest actions in Spanish football was sacking former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui before the 2018 World Cup for negotiating with Real Madrid without informing him.
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