The Spanish sports minister described the act as “unacceptable”. Her equality minister equated it with “sexual violence.” USWNT star Megan Rapinoe called it a “physical assault,” and the Spanish PM added that whatever it was, it needed “clarification.”
But for a time, the man at the center of the global scandal just shrugged, calling it “a minor show of affection” and his critics “idiots.”
Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales doubled down on his resignation on Friday when, despite outrage at his actions at a gathering where his future was at stake, he gave a powerful speech rejecting his resignation.
He blamed “fake feminism” for a “social murder” on him before stressing four times that he was going nowhere – prompting an angry reaction from members of Spain’s world-winning squad, who then said they would refuse until then to play for Spain Rubiales resigns.
When Rubiales gave Spain’s Jenni Hermoso a powerful kiss on the mouth just before the country’s women’s team received their first-ever World Cup, it sent shockwaves through the international community – but in some circles people were not at all surprised.
Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales sent shockwaves on social media after kissing Spain’s Jenni Hermoso
Rubiales (centre) has been president of the ailing Spanish Football Federation since 2018 and his tenure has not been free of controversy
His behavior – pictured here seemingly grabbing his crotch – caused a stir on Sunday
Tensions ran high in the run-up to the tournament when head coach Jorge Vilda fell out with his players, some of whom were involved in a mutiny that became public knowledge last September.
But Rubiales’ behavior – including cheering his crotch near the daughter of the king and queen of Spain – struck a chord around the world, forcing his leadership of the federation and the RFEF itself to come under scrutiny.
Here Mail Sport examines the controversies that have shaped the recent history of the RFEF.
The kiss seen around the world
Jenni Hermoso “didn’t like it”. She said so in an interview amid the victory celebrations in Spain, and she said it again in an Instagram Live. A statement bearing her name on the RFEF good naturedly brushed aside the incident but urged to refocus on their historic success. They should have celebrated that.
Instead, Rubiales’ initial insistence that he had done nothing wrong – by denouncing the “bulls” otherwise directed against the RFEF – added fuel to the fire and caused consternation on social media.
Rubiales, who was first elected in 2018 before being granted a second term in 2020, has been urged to step down by players, fans, the media and even the Spanish government. He made an apology video but failed to get Hermoso to appear at his side to validate his statement.
Rubiales is said to have begged the player for the sake of his ‘daughters’ and head coach Vilda is said to have reached out to Hermoso’s parents. Neither attempt worked, and neither did the apology – the PM deemed it “inadequate” in one of the friendlier critiques.
Hermoso (centre) is said to have been asked several times to appear in an apology video with Rubiales – only to have his request turned down
Speaking at a meeting called to discuss his future, Rubiales defiantly refused to resign
On Wednesday, the president of CENAFE – Spain’s national school for football coaches – Miguel Angel Galan filed a complaint with the Madrid Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, claiming his behavior constituted sexual assault.
Rubiales has now been accused of workplace harassment by a former colleague, Tamara Ramos Cruz. She claims Rubiales was consistently inappropriate when the couple worked together ten years ago.
It was announced on Friday that the Spanish government will sue Rubiales in a sports court to oust him from office.
After he kissed Hermoso, she said, “Now they will believe me.”
But Rubiales said Friday, in his typically defiant manner, that it was “more of a kiss than a kiss.” “There was no desire, the desire was the same as I would have if I kissed my daughter, there was no dominance,” he said in his bizarre speech.
“It was spontaneous, mutual and consensual.”
He has said four times that he will not resign and will remain in charge of the Spanish Football Federation despite the storm his actions have caused.
The surviving trainer tries to ‘destroy’ him
A glassy-eyed press conference on the eve of the World Cup final. A figure on the fringes of jubilant team celebrations. And a string of missing Champions League winners.
Taken together, a number of curious episodes hint at the unrest that still rages between players and head coach Vilda in the Spanish camp. At times, Vilda appeared to be a supporting figure as Spain celebrated their momentous success at Stadium Australia and his split from the side hinted at the lingering divisions that still exist almost a year later.
Spain’s player mutiny began after Spain’s quarter-final defeat by England’s Lionnesses at the European Championship. The players went to Rubiales to tell them they were unhappy with their current head coach and also confronted Vilda to get him to resign. They then held a press conference at which then-captain Irene Paredes said that while they had not called for his release, they had expressed their concerns to the RFEF.
Things got serious again in September, when 15 national team members – including six members of Champions League-winning Barcelona and Manchester United stars Ona Batlle and Lucia Garcia – wrote in private messages to the RFEF, insisting that Vilda’s continued presence in the national line-up adversely affected her “health and emotional state” and put her out of contention for national team duty.
But instead of reflecting on the situation and opening a discourse with the injured players, the RFEF immediately hit back. Even their public statement drew criticism, claiming the mutiny was “unprecedented in the history of football” and hinting at the possibility of striking players being banned from call-up for two to five years.
Ahead of the international friendlies in October, progress was brisk. Players who had supported the mutineers, like Paredes, were expelled. Apparently, Vilda overlooked previous conversations, showing defiance and urging players to “personally say why you made that decision and why you disagree”.
The players have never explicitly voiced their concerns in public and Vilda was not named in the email either, but the main points of the matter seem to center on the manager’s controlling nature. Vilda insisted players’ hotel doors should be left open at night so he could inspect their rooms before this was stopped in 2019 after persistent complaints and he would carry out bag searches.
Irene Paredes was punished for her support of the rebels during international friendlies
Although twelve of the mutineers later made themselves available for the World Cup, Barcelona star Mapi Leon decided to miss the tournament
Jorge Vilda has stuck by his job despite a barrage of complaints and controversy
In apparent retaliation to its critics, RFEF released unbiased images of the divisive head coach
There have reportedly been complaints about Vilda’s tactical skills and the low standard of tournament preparation and training facilities available to the women following their early exit from last year’s European Championships. A World Cup win could be an immediate backlash, but given the wealth of talent Spain possesses, it should be short-lived.
The important thing is that Vilda has his allies. One of them is Rubiales, a staunch supporter of his head coach, who celebrated with him on the pitch after the final whistle on Sunday. He backed him up in a flash, calling Vilda a “hardworking man” who stood up to all odds and those who wanted to “destroy” him in the run-up to the finale.
The second is closer to home – Vilda’s father Angel is the head of women’s football at the RFEF.
“A question of principle”
When Rubiales was appointed in May 2018, he wasted no time cleaning up. His first act as president was like detonating a nuclear bomb: 23 days after his appointment, the new boss fired the coach of the men’s national team, two days before the start of the World Cup.
As seems to be usual with the RFEF, the action for Rubiales appeared to be a matter of principle.
“There are decisions that we have to make based on an understanding of how you should behave and based on ethics,” he said in a press conference immediately after Lopetegui was posted.
“How you should behave” was not only on the shoulders of Lopetegui, but also of Real Madrid, his new employer. Real had announced that the national coach would switch to the team after the end of the Spanish World Cup season. The Spanish Football Federation had given Lopetegui permission to start talks with the club and subsequently wanted to pocket £1.7m (€2m) from the indemnity clause in his newly renegotiated contract, but were stunned.
Julen Lopetegui (left) was sacked just two days before the start of Spain’s 2018 World Cup
Just weeks into his tenure at the helm, the manager was quickly replaced by Rubiales with the team’s sporting director
Sergio Ramos (left) was among the players who wanted to advise Rubiales against sacking the manager
timing was everything. Rubiales caused offense on two important points. First, that he had learned of the announcement just “five minutes” before Real Madrid’s statement was released. And secondly, that the LaLiga side would make the announcement even on the eve of a major competition.
At the time, the announcement caused a stir, but when he bombed Lopetegui, the camp was in free fall. The players, led by Sergio Ramos, argued for him but the RFEF ignored them. In his place, Rubiales gave sporting director Fernando Hierro a commanding promotion.
Hierro had previously worked as a coach. Fittingly, he had been Zinedine Zidane’s assistant at Madrid. His last appointment, however, had been with Segunda Division club Real Oviedo over a year earlier.
Rubiales seemed offended that Real Madrid had publicly rejected his request for a stay. But the consequences of his recklessness fell at the players’ feet. Spain were eliminated on penalties by hosts Russia in the round of 16.
Real Madrid point the finger in the racism dispute
“Spain is a country of racists,” Real Madrid star Vincius Jr wrote on Instagram in a revealing message, in which he spoke of his ongoing frustration at being repeatedly the victim of racial slurs while playing for his club. He decided to get involved on social media.
The decisive piece of evidence for the post, which deservedly attracted international attention, was just the latest in a series of compelling pieces of evidence that saw the winger repeatedly victim of verbal abuse, chanting, racist signs and even effigy. Vinicius received a red card in Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat by Valencia, but the game was suspended for several minutes for racist abuse in the stands in front of goal.
Despite the stadium announcer threatening a stoppage of play, play continued until the final whistle, but the incidents surrounding the player’s post prompted what appeared to be a well-considered response from the RFEF.
Rubiales admitted in a statement that the country has a “serious problem” with racism, adding disarmingly: “Vinicius Jr. and any footballer, male or female, who suffers an insult or an act of violence have my support and the of the entire RFEF because “We are here to help and ask you to help us improve.”
Vinicius Jnr criticized LaLiga and RFEF’s lack of action in the fight against racism following another abuse incident, this time against Valencia
Vinicius received a red card during the loss, which was interrupted by the referees and not surrendered
Rubiales’ statement in response to the racism suffered by Vinicius Jr. seemed to make matters worse
He also pointed the finger at fellow La Liga player Javier Tebas, urging the player to “ignore the irresponsible behavior of the league’s president”. Valencia were duly sanctioned, ordering a partial stadium closure for five games (later reduced to three) and fined £38,000 (€45,000). The six VAR referees involved in the game were reportedly fired.
But Real Madrid weren’t content with making Rubiales believe that the Spanish Football Federation was completely innocent given the circumstances. In response, they released a scathing statement claiming they were “surprised” at Rubiales’ justified outrage.
Their opinion was as follows: “As (Rubiales) is the boss of Spanish football and of the refereeing profession, in accordance with FIFA protocols, he has not allowed decisive measures to be taken to prevent the situation that has arisen.” Our football’s image is in badly damaged and clouded to the eyes of the whole world.
“His inaction has left our player Vinicius helpless and defenceless.” Instead of acting decisively and applying the regulatory protocols, the referees, in most cases, chose to abstain and avoid the decisions appropriate to them.”
FIFA protocol requires that in the event of racist shouting or abuse from fans in the stadium, referees first stop play for the stadium announcement, then stop play and then, if the abuse persists, abandon the game.
Real Madrid claimed that what happened against Valencia was far from ‘an isolated incident’, and Los Blancos shared that they were ‘concerned that the Spanish Football Federation failed to take any action during this period, despite the clear and repeated warning signs have.’ that we have denounced through our club.’
The financial gap between men’s and women’s support
Complaints about funding were circulating within the association prior to the players’ mutiny in September, but the reality of the financial divide between the RFEF’s management of men’s and women’s football was made clear at this year’s Supercopa de Espana Femenina, played between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Footage shared on social media showed the sad reality of winning the RFEF’s second most prestigious club competition as a woman, as victorious Barcelona players lined up at a pitchside table with the pomp and atmosphere of an assembly line to collect their medals.
Towering over them were the RFEF representatives in attendance. Nobody left their place.
Barcelona Femeni had to collect their own medals from a table after January’s Supercopa
There is little hope that Spain’s World Cup victory could improve financial support for women’s football
But – as the RFEF argued in a quickly typed statement – that’s exactly what happened with the men’s teams!
“In accordance with the RFEF award protocols and taking into account both the high number of institutional representatives and the infrastructure to access the box from the stadium lawn, the protocol department has decided to hold the handover ceremony in the box at the stadium “This is the same way as is done in the Copa del Rey: handing over the trophy to the captain of the champion team and handing over the medals to the winning team on the pitch or in the dressing room,” explained RFEF.
“This is the same awards ceremony that took place at the last edition of the Women’s Supercup in 2022,” the statement ended, as if providing a definitive apology.
Unfortunately for the federation, social media was quick to confirm that it was a far cry from what was “carried out” in the men’s competition.
It’s starting!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, kicking off with a preview show today and every week this season.
It is available on Web, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify