"Overwhelmed with Emotion" Official Apology from Spanish Football Association President Amid Forced Kiss Controversy

"Unconsented Physical Contact" Criticized
First Ever Women's World Cup Victory Atmosphere Dampened

Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, who sparked controversy by unexpectedly kissing a national player right after winning the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, has issued an official apology.

On the 21st (local time), Rubiales stated through a video released by the Spanish Football Association to media outlets such as ESPN, "I made a mistake," adding, "I was overwhelmed with emotion at the time. There was absolutely no bad intention."

He also said, "The backlash outside has been significant because that scene hurt many people's feelings," and added, "I must apologize for this. I will learn from this incident and remind myself to act cautiously as the head of an organization."

Hermoso: "It Was an Expression of Affection" Attempts to Calm the Situation

The Spain women's national football team experienced the joy of their first-ever World Cup victory by defeating England 1-0 in the tournament final held on the 20th at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia.
[Photo by EPA·Yonhap News]

The Spanish women's national football team celebrated their first-ever World Cup victory by defeating England 1-0 in the final held at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, on the 20th.

However, during the subsequent award ceremony, Rubiales went up to the stage and hugged midfielder Jennifer Hermoso, then grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her.

After the surprise kiss, Hermoso, during a live Instagram session in the locker room, responded to related questions with a smile but admitted, "I didn't feel good about it," which was shared widely on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), causing a stir.

As the controversy grew, Hermoso later defended Rubiales through the Spanish Football Association, saying, "It was an expression of affection."

Hermoso explained, "There was an overwhelming joy from winning the World Cup, and it was a natural gesture," adding, "There is no problem in my relationship with the president." However, major foreign media outlets unanimously criticized Rubiales' action as 'non-consensual physical contact,' broadly equating it to sexual harassment.

The Spanish daily El Pa?s sharpened its criticism in an editorial titled "Hermoso Did Not Like Rubiales' Kiss. Neither Do We."

Irene Montero, Spain's Minister of Equality, also criticized via X, stating, "Do not consider a non-consensual kiss as something normal," and added, "This is part of the sexual violence women routinely experience."

Rubiales Frequently Involved in Controversies

Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, stated in an interview with Yonhap News during his visit to Korea last March, "The goal of Spanish football is for the men's and women's national teams to advance side by side without feeling any discrimination."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

This is not the first time Rubiales has been involved in controversy.

In September last year, 15 key Spanish players suddenly expressed their intention to 'boycott' due to the current coach Jorge Vilda's coercive coaching style. Despite the players' opposition, Rubiales was the figure who firmly supported Vilda to remain in his position.

However, Rubiales has also been a figure who emphasized support for female players in official settings. During his visit to Korea in March, he told Yonhap News in an interview, "The goal of Spanish football is for the men's and women's national teams to progress side by side without feeling discrimination."

Rubiales also expressed regret that despite the national team's remarkable achievement, the controversy caused by his own actions received more attention.

He said, "(The World Cup victory) is the greatest success women's football has achieved in our history, so it is even sadder. We were celebrating Spain's second win overall (including men and women), but this incident affected that," expressing his regret.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.