Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (Fifa), has apologized for his controversial kiss to a Spanish national team player shortly after the team won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“I made a mistake,” Rubiales said, “I was overwhelmed with emotion at the time,” according to a report by ESPN on Feb. 22. I didn’t have any bad intentions,” he said.
Rubiales also apologized for “hurting the feelings of many people with that image,” adding, “I will learn from this and realize that as the head of an institution, I must act carefully.”
Spain defeated England 1-0 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand final on Sept. 20 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in its history.
But during the victory ceremony, an incident occurred. Rubiales congratulated the players on their victory by placing gold medals around their necks, but when it was Spain ace Jennifer Hermoso’s turn, he suddenly grabbed her face with both hands and forcibly kissed her.
In a live interview on social media, the victim, Hermoso, smiled when asked about the incident and said she “didn’t feel good” about it.
International media outlets were quick to criticize Rubiales’ behavior, saying it bordered on sexual assault. “Apart from the national jubilation, many fans were deeply shocked by the forced kiss that Hermoso was subjected to,” said Spanish outlet Marca.토스카지노
Spain’s Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, also took to social media, saying, “We shouldn’t take kissing without consent for granted. It is part of the sexual violence that women face on a daily basis.”
Rubiales eventually apologized for his behavior.
Meanwhile, Rubiales was elected president of the Spanish Football Federation in 2018 after eight years as Spain’s representative to the world soccer players’ union.