Criticism has been leveled against Luis Rubiales, head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (FA), after a video of him hugging player Jenni Hermoso and kissing her on the lips while celebrating. But the controversy does not end there.
New clips surfaced showing what seems like Rubiales' obscene gesture by grabbing his crotch while standing near Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter Sofia.
The Kiss Scandal; Was it Sexual Assault?
Spain beat England 1-0 on Sunday, August 20, in a match in Sydney, Australia. As seen in a viral video clip, Rubiales kissed World Cup-winning player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation. Hermoso revealed after the match that she had not appreciated Rubiales' kiss.
Left-wing lawmakers in Spain called it an act of "sexual violence."
Hermoso, a Madrid-born player who presently competes for Mexican side Pachuca, downplayed the incident in later statements arranged by Spain's FA, calling it a "mutually and totally spontaneous gesture," as reported by Mirror. She also pointed out that she and the president have a great relationship.
The country's interim Equality Minister, Irene Montero, had harsh words for Rubiales, saying: "We shouldn't assume that kissing someone without their consent is something 'that happens'. It's a form of sexual violence women suffer regularly and up until now invisibly that we cannot normalize."
Ione Belarra, Spain's Acting Minister of Social Rights, retweeted a comment on X (previously Twitter) from a colleague and pinned it with the caption, "What we all think. If they do this with the whole country watching, what won't they do in private? Sexual violence against women has to stop."
In an effort to deflect the criticism, Rubiales said it was only a friendly kiss on the cheek between two friends celebrating and demanded viewers disregard the critics.
Luis Rubiales, the literal PRESIDENT
— Michael (@MichaelEmilio_) August 21, 2023
of RFEF having no issue with kissing
Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the
medal ceremony — and then kissing
match-winner Olga straight after…?
Afterwards on Instagram live Jenni
even said: “I didn’t like that”, before
one of the staff in the… pic.twitter.com/GSsD09Jqdq
Offensive Crotch-Grabbing Gesture Next to Queen
On Monday, August 24, however, Rubiales was back in the headlines when he was seen by people in the stands at Stadium Australia vigorously celebrating the game's conclusion by grabbing his crotch.
Queen Letizia and her young daughter Sofia were standing next to Rubiales when he made the allegedly obscene gesture after repeatedly striking the air.
In an interview, Spanish politician and Podemos member Pablo Echenique stated, "As well as giving Jenni Hermoso a non-consensual kiss on the lips while he grabbed her head, an act that could represent the commission of a crime, Rubiales also celebrated Spain's victory grabbing his testicles next to the queen and her daughter."
Echenique also shared a picture on social media in which the head of the Spanish FA gave Olga Carmona, the game's goal scorer, a sloppy kiss on the left cheek. He said Rubiales seemed obsessed with the whole squad, even stalking them.
