The Spanish Football Federation has announced that it will take legal action against its president Luis Rubiales, opposed to “lies”, after calls for his resignation for his behavior came to a head.
The move comes a day after Spain’s women’s national team announced it would no longer play matches unless the president of the Spanish federation resigned for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips following her victory in the women’s World Cup final.
Rubiales, who has been criticised for clutching his crotch after Spain’s 1-0 win over England on Sunday, has resisted mounting pressure from athletes, politicians and protesters to step down.
In a matrix, the federation said it would show there were “lies” about what happened by Hermoso or others who spoke on his behalf. The Royal Spanish Football Federation’s online page says it will take legal action to protect Rubiales’ honour. It does not yet specify what the action will be.
“Where the rule of law prevails. . . Opinions are contradicted by facts and evidence, and lies are refuted in court. “
“The RFEF and the president will demonstrate lies propagated either through someone on behalf of the player or, where appropriate, through the player herself,” the text states.
She accompanied her through four images from last Sunday’s event that she said illustrated Rubiales’ claim that Hermoso lifted him by the hips.
On Friday, the Spanish players issued a statement, signed through 56 team members, adding up to the 23 of the world champion team, saying they would return to the national team “if the existing control is maintained. “
Hermoso on Friday issued a sharp rebuke to Rubiales for calling the kiss, which marred the celebrations, consensual, while the federation’s 46-year-old president presented himself as a victim at an emergency assembly of the federation in Madrid.
“I resigned,” he said 4 times in a row, to applause from a predominantly male audience.
Rubiales also told the meeting that Hermoso “picked me up” in a birthday party gesture and asked for “a kiss?”And she “said yes. “
“The kiss is the same one I might give to one of my daughters,” Rubiales said.
Among those who applauded Rubiales were women’s team coach Jorge Vilda and men’s team coach Luis de los Angeles Fuente.
Until Friday’s assembly, he had not won public in Spain, and political parties of the left and right opposed him.
Several Spanish media announced Rubiales’ resignation on Thursday. Instead, he said Friday that he was the victim of a witch hunt through “fake feminists. “
The television broadcast of the medal rite did not show the first moments in which Rubiales congratulated Hermoso. But it shows that his feet were on the ground before holding his face and kissing him.
Hermoso contradicted Rubiales’ edit in two statements, one posted by his players’ union FUTRPO and the other posted on social media.
He said he did not agree to the kiss or try to hug the president and that there was no verbal exchange like the one described by Rubiales.
“I will not tolerate doubting my word, let alone putting words in my mouth,” he said.
In a statement, Hermoso said the kiss “left me in shock. “
“I believe that no person, regardless of where they work, deserves to be a victim of this type of non-consensual behavior,” he added.
Hermoso also accused the federation of pressuring her and her family circle to come to Rubiales’ defense.
In the past, the federation had denied reports that it had forced her to downplay the kiss some time after it took place.
Gemma Soler, a Barcelona-based journalist, told Al Jazeera that even if the incident sparked outrage, it could simply be a “turning point” for women’s football in Spain.
“It overshadows what those women have accomplished despite so many demanding situations they have faced in the past. They are World Cup champions, they celebrate and they don’t fight at the moment,” she said, adding that either the federation will have to replace or a new women’s federation will need to be created.
“[The female players] have been forgotten for so long that [the federation] hasn’t paid attention to them unless they think they can make money or succeed. Hopefully [Rubiales] will be disqualified as soon as possible on Monday. It is not over, as it will try to win elections in 2024. Es a long history and a war for power. “