"Forced Kiss" Spanish Football Association President Refuses to Resign, Saying "It Was at a Level with My Daughters"

"False Feminists' Attacks... The Kiss Was Consensual"

Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation, who caused controversy by unexpectedly kissing a player at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup awards ceremony, has refused to resign. This move defied expectations that he would step down voluntarily.

According to AFP and other sources, Rubiales stated four times after an emergency meeting of the federation held in Madrid on the 25th (local time), "I will not resign."

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

Rubiales' position is that the incident is an attack by false feminists. He claimed that the kiss was mutually consensual.

Rubiales faced severe criticism after forcibly kissing the face of Spain's own Jennifer Hermoso during the celebration on the podium immediately after winning the 2023 Women's World Cup, where he was sharing the joy of victory with the players.

The controversy escalated when Hermoso expressed discomfort during a live broadcast on social media (SNS) from the locker room, saying, "I did not feel good."

As the controversy grew, Rubiales bowed his head and admitted, "My behavior was completely wrong. I acknowledge my mistake."

The New York Times (NYT) strongly criticized the incident, stating, "It broadcast to the entire world that gender discrimination still exists in football," while the Spanish Prime Minister, ministers, the Spanish women's football league, and the players' association demanded his resignation.

Luis Rubiales (45), President of the Spanish Football Association.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International joined the calls, and even FIFA announced disciplinary measures.

However, Rubiales refused to resign and claimed that he had confirmed Hermoso's consent before the problematic action.

He stated, "It was a level of kiss I could give to my daughters," and declared that he would defend his honor through legal battles against those who labeled his behavior as sexual violence.

However, there was a stark contrast between his claims and the players' reactions. Hermoso stated through the local players' union, Futpro, that she never agreed to the kiss, and all 23 members of the Spanish women's national team issued a statement through Futpro expressing their intention to 'boycott.'

Additionally, 66 players declared that they would not play for the Spanish national team under Rubiales' leadership.

Spanish football, which should have been celebrating the historic first Women's World Cup victory by the national team, was tarnished by Rubiales' sexual misconduct.

Paradoxically, Rubiales was known as a key figure actively working to improve the poor treatment of the Spanish women's national team players.

On June 15 of last year, Rubiales signed an agreement to provide female players with prize money equal to that of male players for participation in major tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Championship through 2027.

In fact, Rubiales was responsible for tripling the budget for women's football to 406 million euros (approximately 580.4 billion KRW) last year compared to the previous year, and for introducing a minimum wage system in the country's top-tier league.

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