The women’s teams of Barcelona and America show a message of support for Jennifer Hermoso this Tuesday at the Azteca Stadium. José Méndez (EFE)
The soccer players are fed up with a sexist act that has marred their climax. The fact that Spain won its first Women’s World Cup against England was demoted by the non-consensual kiss Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation, gave Jenni Hermoso. The pitch was one of the places where the players showed their solidarity with their colleague, the 10 of Spain, the former goalscorer of Barcelona and also a star in Mexico.
The Azteca Stadium, a pitch still enchanted by the glory of Maradona and Pelé, was dedicated this Tuesday to women’s football. For the first time, the Barcelona women’s team played against América Femenil, the current Mexican football champions, at the legendary football venue. At the same time, five-time champions Tigres met Real Madrid in northern Mexico, home to Mexican Kenti Robles. It was an evening of women’s football at a time when the entire player community had united in solidarity with Hermoso. Before both friendly matches, the footballers posed with a sign: “It’s over.” You are not alone!” A T-shirt came out of the Mexican locker room with the inscription “Jenni, for you and for all of us.”
“Now that we are together, now that they see us, let the Rubiales go, they will fall, they will fall!” and “Rubiales out, machismo no longer fits!” chanted the fans of the so-called feminist Barra, one Group of women’s football supporters trying to remove the sexist, homophobic and derogatory burden from their country’s stands. The banners in support of Jenni Hermoso focused on the message Alexia Putellas wrote after Rubiales’ incendiary performance: “It’s over.” Before the game, Spaniard Andrea Pereira, now a soccer player for America, explained that the crisis in the Spanish federation was a question of time. “We have seen things for a long time that should not have come from an association. With this unpleasant event, everyone finally agreed with the team and the women. This is positive, even if it means the focus on the sport is lost. “This should have happened much earlier,” said the former La Roja player.
Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss on Hermoso sparked global outrage, which grew when the federation refused to resign and made an accusation that tarnished his reputation. So far, Rubiales remains in office. The Spanish public prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation into the leader of the association for possible sexual assault. FIFA temporarily suspended him for 90 days through the Disciplinary Committee. And in the streets of Madrid this Monday, hundreds of women demonstrated with slogans like “It’s not a spike, it’s an attack”, in reference to Rubiales’ attempt to explain the sudden kiss to Hermoso, which the player herself failed to do. by making sure she wasn’t disrespected and became a “victim of aggression”.
Hermoso was a surprise for Mexico when he left Barcelona to join Pachuca, one of the clubs that have invested the most in this category. The club gave him an ecstatic reception with messages of support from Hugo Sánchez, Rafa Márquez and Hristo Stoichkov. In the first year the team was led by the Spanish and reached the final of the Liga MX Femenil. Their brilliant path to the title was hindered by the American football players. In Mexico, the Mexican soccer leadership condemned the act after the World Cup final without mentioning Rubiales, although it distanced itself from other cases. “Apart from the fact that the event occurred outside of our jurisdiction, it is an event that reminds us that as a society we must not let up and continue to work to make our league a place where everyone can woman can feel safe,” she wrote in a statement a few days ago. Women’s football still stands and defends Hermoso.
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