2023-09-15 19:01:22
When Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth on August 20, he didn’t even think about the storm he would unleash. After all, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) seemed to judge himself above good and evil: even before the kiss, to celebrate his team’s victory, he had put his hand on his genitals – in a gesture frequently used to symbolize male supremacy – in the middle of the Stadium Australia stands in Sydney.
By: Cristina Portella
In that same place, to watch the Women’s World Cup match that would consecrate the Spanish national team, were none other than the queen and the princess of the country. The queen did not publicly protest against Rubiales’s attitude, but Jenni Hermoso did.
The facts
Even during the victory celebrations, Jenni Hermoso said that she did not like the attitude of the president of the RFEF, but that she had no way to react. Demonstrations of solidarity with the player and repudiation of Rubiales’ behavior resounded in the press and in the streets. At first, still in Australia, he described the criticism he received as “idiotic,” and later retracted it and apologized. But always stating that the player had consented to the kiss, which she denied: “I want to clarify that at no time did I consent to the kiss that Rubiales gave me,” Jenni Hermoso wrote in a statement published by the Spanish soccer players’ union. (Futpro). In that same statement, Futpro alerts the Higher Sports Council of the need to “actively support and promote prevention and intervention in cases of sexual abuse, machismo and sexism.”
The commotion in the country was such that vice president Yolanda Díaz, the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) and the Federation of Shareholders and Partners of Spanish Football (FASFE) asked for Rubiales’ resignation. He refused to do so, always arguing that the kiss had been consensual, in which he was supported by the RFEF. The following day, the International Football Federation (FIFA) announced the suspension of the leader for 90 days, pending the verdict of the disciplinary process opened to investigate what happened.
The Spanish Mee Too
Jenni Hermoso’s fight to restore the truth began to win on August 25, five days after the siege of which she was a victim. In a harsh statement, the player exposed the difficult situations faced by women in the Spanish National Team in recent years and accused the RFEF of having pressured her, her family and her teammates to support the version of events. favorable to Rubiales. “I want to clarify that, at no time, did I consent to the kiss that he [Luis Rubiales] half (…). “I do not tolerate my word being questioned, much less inventing words that I have not said,” wrote Jenni Hermoso. “I felt vulnerable and a victim of aggression, of an impulsive, sexist, unreasonable act without any type of consent,” he continued. “Honestly, I was not respected.”
In solidarity with Jenni Hermoso, 81 players, 23 of whom are world champions, signed a statement expressing “their firm and resounding condemnation of conduct that violates the dignity of women.” In that same text, they ask for radical changes in the management of the RFEF and in the women’s team and warn that they will not return to the team if the current managers, including Rubiales, remain in it. In addition to the players, 11 members of the Spanish team’s coaching staff, including men and women, resigned from their positions.
The Spanish Public Ministry opened an investigation against Rubiales and, in the streets, demonstrations continued against the permanence of the Federation leader and in repudiation of machismo, in sport and in society. #SeAcabó, the hashtag with which Jenni Hermoso signed a statement published on X (Twitter), became the war cry of these demonstrations.
Elite in panic
Only on August 28, and with Rubiales already removed from his leadership, the RFEF changed its position and requested the “immediate resignation” of the until then president. He only did it because of the pressure from the players and the streets, increasingly radicalized against the machismo that exists in football, perpetuated by both its leaders and the federations. This complicity with the sexist attitudes present in football, and with Rubiales in particular, is also expressed by UEFA (Union of European Football Federations), which so far has not condemned the conduct of Spanish managers, maintaining a silence. compromising The same attitude adopted by the Portuguese Football Federation, which limited itself to guaranteeing that nothing will influence the candidacy between Portugal and Spain to organize the 2030 World Cup. About Rubiales’ sexist behavior, not a word.
Solidarity in Portugal
An attitude radically opposite to that of Jéssica Silva, player of the Portuguese soccer team. For her, according to an interview given to the newspaper Public , “it is absolutely sad and disgusting to see what is happening. The Spanish team, instead of enjoying its first world title, has to continue fighting for something that should be transversal to all of us: respect, dignity and honesty.” “We must emphasize the bravery of these players,” he continued. “They had courage and I hope they are protected. This complaint was important so that other players also had that courage. It is a wake-up call to raise awareness among the entire community, so that we can all help.” “I am with all my colleagues,” she concluded.
Yes, we are with Jenni Hermoso and for the dismissal of all sports leaders who, like Rubiales, disrespect and oppress the women on their teams.
Article published in https://emluta.net11/9/2023.-
Photo credit: Alejandro Reguero, CC BY-SA 4.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0> ;, via Wikimedia Commons.
Translation: Natalia Estrada.
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