'Forced Kiss' Spanish Female Soccer Player "Korea Football Association President Should Be Punished"

Apologized but "Inappropriate" Criticism Continues

After winning the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women's World Cup, Spanish women's football team midfielder Jennifer Hermoso was unexpectedly kissed by the president of her country's football association during the award ceremony, prompting her side to condemn the act, stating that "he must be punished."

Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation, forcibly kisses a female soccer player at an awards ceremony.
[Photo by rtve broadcast screen capture]

According to a report by the UK’s BBC on the 24th (Korean time), Hermoso said, "The union I belong to, Futpro, and my agent will protect my interests regarding this issue."

Futpro also issued a statement emphasizing, "We will ensure that such behavior is punished," and added, "The Spanish Football Association president must face sanctions, and exemplary measures must be adopted to protect female football players from behavior we find unacceptable."

Earlier, on the 20th, Spain celebrated their first-ever World Cup victory by defeating England 1-0 in the Women's World Cup final held at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia.

During the subsequent award ceremony, Luis Rubiales (45), president of the Spanish Football Association, congratulated the players on stage, then hugged Hermoso, grabbed her face with both hands, and kissed her.

Later, during a live broadcast on social media platform Instagram from the locker room, Hermoso responded to related questions with a smile but expressed discomfort, saying, "I didn’t feel good about it."

Major foreign media strongly criticized Rubiales’ actions, stating that since it was "non-consensual physical contact," it broadly qualifies as sexual assault, and that "it broadcast to the entire world that gender discrimination still exists in the football world."

Hermoso and Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Association, sharing a hug on the podium /
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As the controversy grew, Rubiales released a video admitting, "I made a mistake," and said, "I was overwhelmed with emotion at the time, and I had no bad intentions."

However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S?nchez, at a celebration event for the Women's World Cup victory held at the official residence, stated, "What we saw was an unacceptable gesture," and emphasized, "The football association president’s apology is insufficient and inappropriate."

He continued, "The players gave their all to win, but the president’s behavior shows that there is still a long way to go for equality."

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor Yolanda D?az went further, calling for Rubiales’ resignation.

Minister D?az raised her voice, saying, "The Spanish national team has shown a lot not only in football but also in equality," and added, "Excuses are useless."

Spain’s women’s football league, Liga F, which reportedly submitted a protest letter demanding Rubiales’ dismissal to the National Sports Council (CSD), stated, "This is an event that will go down in the history of world sports and will follow the Spanish women's national team like a stigma," and insisted, "He must be stripped of his qualifications."

The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) also called for an investigation into Rubiales’ actions under FIFA’s Code of Ethics.

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