Spanish football president’s kiss sparks outrage after Women’s World Cup final

The president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, has come in for criticism after he kissed the forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in the World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday night.

The kiss – delivered on stage during the official post-match ceremony – was captured on camera and has prompted outrage on social media.

Hermoso said on a live stream afterwards that she “didn’t like it”.

“It was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense joy that winning a World Cup brings,” said Hermoso, in comments given to AFP by the Spanish federation. “The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour with all of us has been outstanding and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude.”

Rubiales brushed off any suggestion that the act was inappropriate. “It was a kiss between two friends celebrating something,” he told the broadcaster COPE on Sunday, dismissing those who saw it differently as “idiots and stupid people”. Rubiales added: “Let’s ignore them and enjoy the good things.” 

Reaction to the kiss continued to dominate Spanish news on Monday, with the minister of equality in the caretaker government, Irene Montero, describing it as “a form of sexual violence that we women suffer on a daily basis and until now has been invisible,” on social media. “We can’t normalise this,” she added.

Her view was backed by Nadia Tronchoni, who leads sports coverage at the newspaper El País. “It’s an intrusion,” she wrote. “An invasion of one’s personal space. Without consent. An aggression.” 

The Socialist politician Adrián Barbón characterised it as an “absolute lack of respect and an abuse that neither the moment, nor the euphoria, nor the joy justifies”,