A second woman has spoken publicly about the sexual harassment suffered at the hands of RFEF President Luis Rubiales. Following the forced kiss of Spanish star striker Jenni Hermoso during their World Cup celebrations, Tamara Ramos has spoken of some of the things that Rubiales used to say to her.
Ramos used to work at the AFE (Spanish Player’s Association) alongside Rubiales, and ended up leaving the company after a legal battle with Rubiales. She is now the co-founder of Futbolistas ON, an organisation which seeks to represent and defend the rights of footballers.
She spoke about some of the abuse that she received while working with Rubiales, and alleges she suffered continuous abuse at her hands.
“I have suffered humiliations, physical blows [to the furniture], words that I cannot repeat due to the time we are in… It was an atrocity for a long time.”
“I am not at all surprised by what is happening, I have known him for many years and I have suffered from him,” she told Telecinco, as carried by Relevo.
Ramos continued, giving examples of the harassment she had suffered.
“In front of everyone he, with the sarky manner he has of laughing at himself, told me ‘you’ll see, you’ve come here to put your knee pads on’. These are words that nobody deserves, especially a professional, who as I was, has come to work.”
“He said to me ‘what colour underwear are you wearing today?’ You feel so… being a woman in the football world, there are not many of us. It’s hard to face yourself. When I sued him, he had two babies. I had a terrible time and it was very difficult for me to do it. I sued for a termination of contract. He told me that if I left he wouldn’t even give me redundancy.”
During the interview, Ramos is visibly nervous, with her voice shaking. She spoke also responded to the apology that Rubiales gave on Monday, and made an appeal to football organisations off the back of these events.
“It seems to me that he did not apologise. It seemed like a speech justifying himself. His true colours are the ones he has shown. Finally he has shown himself, it does not surprise me at all. I think that now it is easier for them to believe me, now it has been seen.”
“From here I would love to make an appeal to the football institutions to ensure that there are many more women in management positions.”
Rubiales has faced significant pressure to step aside from his role as RFEF President, with numerous politicians and figures in football demanding he do so. However the latest is that Rubiales is not planning to resign, and instead will show the strength of his support at a general assembly this Friday. He will also explain his commitment to the women’s game.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said that his apology is ‘not enough’, while Vice-President Yolanda Diaz referred to it as ‘sexual violence’. Ultimately, as more and more details are revealed about his actions in the aftermath, it seems as though it is not appropriate for him to be working closely with either Hermoso or women in general based on the evidence.
