The president of the Spanish Football Association, who kissed the player at the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup Awards, which ended on the 20th, is expected to step down on the 25th. According to AFP and U.S. sports media ESPN, “Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, will submit his resignation to the association on the 25th.”
After the Spanish national team won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on the 20th, President Rubiales held Henifer Hermoso’s face with both hands and kissed him at the awards ceremony. Since then, Ermoso has said he was “not in a good mood,” and criticism has continued that Chairman Rubiales’ actions are physical contact without consent, which is equivalent to sexual violence.
“We will make sure that this act is punished,” said FootPro, a union joined by Ermoso, in a statement on the 24th. “Exemplary measures should be adopted to protect female soccer players from unacceptable behavior.” Chairman Rubiales apologized, saying, “I made a mistake because I was overwhelmed at the time,” but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pointed out, “The president of the Korea Football Association’s apology is not enough.”
Spain’s Women’s Soccer League also demanded disqualification, saying, “President Rubiales has tainted the World Cup title.” Against this backdrop, Amnesty International, a human rights organization, also issued a statement, and FIFA also began reviewing disciplinary action against Rubiales on the 24th, and Rubiales seems to have chosen to step down on his own. However, AFP reported, “The Spanish Football Association did not answer when asked whether President Rubiales would resign.” 토토사이트
Rubiales, a former soccer player, took office as president of the Spanish association in May 2018 and fired Julen Lopetegui, then head coach of the Spanish national team, two days before the first group match of the World Cup in Russia in June that year. It also moved the venue of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia from 2019, and in addition to the “kiss incident” at the awards ceremony, excessive physical contact with the players raised eyebrows. In addition, ahead of the Women’s World Cup, 15 key players have expressed their intention to “boycott” since September last year, dissatisfied with the coach of the national team Jorge Bilda, but the association ignored it and supported Bilda.
