RFEF President Luis Rubiales is now under serious pressure to resign from his position, after he kissed Spain’s star forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez received the victorious Spain team following their first World Cup triumph in Australia, but also addressed Rubiales behaviour.
While greeting all of the players and staff, there was a notable coldness in his reception of Rubiales. He had put out an apology of sorts on Monday night, but did not attend the public party on their arrival in Madrid.
Sanchez spoke at a press event with the players present.
“First of all, the players, and they will allow me a smile, have done everything to win.·
“But it is true that there has been behaviour, in this case like that of Mr. Rubiales, which if they show anything is that in our country we have a long way to go in terms of equality, respect and the equalization of rights between women and men. That is why, finally, what we saw was an unacceptable gesture. I also believe that the apologies that Mr. Rubiales has given are not enough and I even believe that they are not adequate. And therefore Mr. Rubiales has to continue taking steps,” Sanchez said, as covered by Relevo.
Pedro Sánchez, presidente del Gobierno en funciones, sobre el comportamiento de Luis Rubiales en la final:
🗨️ “Lo que vimos fue un gesto inaceptable. Las disculpas no han sido suficientes. No son adecuadas. Tiene que seguir dando pasos el señor Rubiales”. pic.twitter.com/yeqAatl1dm
— Relevo (@relevo) August 22, 2023
“In any case, they will allow me to focus on the good part of all this, the success of the players, who are world champions, which has been preceded by similar victories in the under-17s and under-20s that show that we have great athletes. That women’s football and women’s sports in our country have strength and vigor and greater support and recognition.”
Sanchez would reiterate that while he has no power to dictate Rubiales future, he wanted to see further action.
“The Spanish Football Federation, its structure, does not belong to the structure or the organizational chart of the Government of Spain. The current president is elected and dismissed from the federation by his associates, but I have said in my first speech that it seems to us that they are [his apologies] are insufficient and Mr. Rubiales has to take more steps to clarify clearly unacceptable behavior, which does not connect with the majority sentiment of the public, which is clearly committed to equality between men and women. We have seen his statements of request for apologies and I think they are insufficient. It has to be much clearer and more forceful in the request for apologies.”
Sanchez is just the latest to ask for further apologies or action, following on from the Minister for Culture and Sport Miquel Iceta, and Vice-President Yolanda Diaz amongst others, who called it an incident of sexual violence.
Increasingly it seems unlikely that Rubiales can withstand the weight of public opinion, however he has remained upright following previous scandals. This is the first time that politicians have mobilised against him though, and it could well be the one that tips the scales against him.
