Spanish football chief Rubiales apologises for kissing WC star Jennifer Hermoso

MADRID: President of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales apologised on Monday after an unsolicited kiss he planted on player Jennifer Hermoso‘s lips following Spain’s triumph in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

According to media reports, the incident drew widespread attention after the 45-year-old Rubiales embraced Hermoso with a kiss on the lips as she received her medal.

“Surely I was wrong, I have to admit,” Rubiales said in a video statement sent by the federation. “It was without bad faith at a time of maximum effusiveness.”

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He further stated that he had no alternative but to offer an apology, gain insights from this incident, and exercise greater caution in his role as a representative of the federation.

Earlier on Monday, the Spanish Minister of Sports demanded that Rubiales extend an apology.

Interim minister Miquel Iceta conveyed on Spanish public radio, “I find it unacceptable to offer a congratulatory kiss on the lips to a player.”

Iceta appended, “His foremost duty is to provide clarifications and offer apologies; it is the rational and reasonable course of action.”

The minister emphasised that while the victory against England in the World Cup was “a moment of profound emotions,” public figures “must exercise exceptional prudence as our actions communicate a message to society—a message of equal rights that deserves respect.”

Meanwhile, Hermoso told teammates afterwards in the locker room that she “didn’t like it,” according to video footage posted on Instagram and YouTube by El Mundo newspaper and other media outlets.

She later downplayed the incident in a statement sent to Spanish news agency EFE by the federation.

On Sunday, Hermoso discussed the incident on the radio program ‘El Tiempo de Juego’ on Cadena COPE, stating, “I wasn’t anticipating it,” yet attributing it to “the emotion of the moment. There’s nothing more to it. It will simply become an anecdote of this time. I’m confident it won’t be magnified.”

‘UNACCEPTABLE’

Several government ministers and media commentators also criticised the gesture.

Acting Social Rights Minister Ione Belarra, who belongs to Montero’s party, asked “if they do that with all of Spain watching, what might they do privately?”

An opinion column in Spain’s top-selling El Pais newspaper on Monday morning was titled: “Jenni didn’t like the kiss and we didn’t either” – describing it as “an intrusion, an invasion of privacy, an aggression”.

Rubiales had initially minimised the outrage, calling critics “idiots”.

“The kiss with Jenni? There are idiots everywhere. When two people have a moment of affection that means nothing more, you can’t listen to idiocy. We are the champions, that’s it,” he said, according to Radio Marca.

But in his apology later on Monday, Rubiales included those who called him out.

“I also want to apologise to these persons,” he said.