Spain capture bittersweet World Cup title following year of controversy
The past year has seen plenty of controversy surrounding the Spain Women’s national team, but in the end leave Australia and New Zealand with their first World Cup title.
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
The president of Spain’s soccer federation will resign from his position Friday, according to ESPN and multiple Spanish news outlets. The move follows days of controversy and criticism regarding his actions at a ceremony celebrating the nation’s first Women’s World Cup title.
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings Thursday against Luis Rubiales for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of Spanish star Jennifer Hermoso after she helped Spain to a 1-0 victory over England in the World Cup final.
Rubiales initially defended his actions as “two friends celebrating.” However, as backlash continued to mount – including from Hermoso herself – Rubiales issued a formal video apology for what he called a “mistake.”
“(O)n the outside it has caused a stir, because people have felt hurt by it, so I have to apologize; there’s no alternative,” he said, according to a Pro Soccer Wire translation. “In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened, happened, in a very spontaneous way. (There was) no bad faith from either side.”
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Hermoso said after the match she “didn’t like that” and issued a statement Wednesday through FUTPRO, the union that represents Spain’s players.”My union, FUTPRO, in coordination with my agency, TMJ, are taking care of defending my interests and being the interlocutors on this matter,” Hermoso said in the statement.
In addition to the kiss, Rubiales sparked outrage for kissing other players on their cheeks and for grabbing his crotch immediately following Spain’s World Cup victory, while standing near Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofía.
Government officials began to speak out.
Spain’s acting Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, called Rubiales’ apology “insufficient and inadequate” and Yolanda Díaz, the acting second deputy prime minister, called for Rubiales to resign.
Spain’s acting minister for sports and culture, Miquel Iceta, said it “is unacceptable to kiss a player on the lips to congratulate her.” And Spain’s minister for equality, Irene Montero, said the kiss was “a form of sexual violence women suffer on a daily basis.”
There was also criticism of Rubiales from Spain’s domestic leagues. Real Madrid coach Carlos Ancelotti said Rubiales’ behavior was “not good behavior for a president,” while the president of La Liga team Getafe said he should not remain as head of the federation “for even a minute more.” Liga F, the women’s league, called on Rubiales to resign and said it had filed a complaint against Rubiales with the National Sports Council.
Rubiales had managed to dodge controversies before, but the circumstances of this made it near impossible for him to survive. Not only did it occur on the world stage, some worried it could jeopardize Spain’s bid for the 2030 World Cup — both with FIFA and with government leaders who will have to contribute funds to pay for it.
The incident also came on the heels of a player revolt last September against coach Jorge Vilda in which 15 players submitted letters of protest over what they called an unprofessional training environment. However, Rubiales and the Spanish federation backed Vilda, who then dropped 12 of the 15 complainants from the national team’s roster.
It’s not clear what, if any, impact Rubiales stepping down will have on Vilda’s future. Vilda was asked multiple times after Sunday’s final whether he planned to stay on as Spain’s coach and he refused to commit, saying that was something to be discussed in the future.
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