Suspended President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales has not been short of criticism from all angles over the past three weeks, following his decision to kiss Spain forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent. In Spain, few male footballers have spoken out on the matter though – Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu did not hold back when asked about the matter though.
Rubiales is could face up to a two-year suspension for his actions from the Spanish Government, but that process has been halted after Hermoso decided to press charges against Rubiales. The legal process must be concluded first.
Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias declared that he would no longer play for Spain until changes were made, while teammates Aitor Rubial and Hector Bellerin both condemned Rubiales’ actions too.
The Spain men’s team read out a statement declaring that Rubiales’ actions were inappropriate, and that they supported the women’s team on Monday, yet did so without mentioning Hermoso. Meanwhile Dani Carvajal has openly admitted that they made the statement in order to avoid questions on the matter, and declared that he would not judge anyone until a firm sentence had been handed down.
Romeu has been a little less diplomatic in his evaluation of the matter. Speaking to Esport3, Romeu admitted that few players had pronounced on the matter, although did point out that most had given their opinion when asked.
“Hopefully, Jenni and her colleagues feel valued, respected and that the things they are drawing attention to come to the end. The behaviour that has been shown towards them is pathetic and sad.”
“And I don’t want to ignore the fact that they have achieved a World Cup. We are filling the front pages for this issue, which is important, but I would like to highlight what they have done. There is a lot of merit in becoming world champions.”
