Villarreal faces Barcelona in a La Liga match on Sunday, August 27, 2023 (8/27/23) at Estadio de la Cerámica in Villarreal, Spain.
BARCELONA, Spain — Less than a week after winning the Women’s World Cup, Spain’s national team players announced Friday that they will not play any more games unless the president of the country’s soccer federation steps down for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after their victory.
Several Spanish news media outlets reported on Thursday that Rubiales would step down. Instead, he said on Friday that he is the victim of a witch hunt by “false feminists.” Hermoso contradicted Rubiales’ version in two statements, one issued through her FUTRPO players union and a second published on social media.
After a full day of accusations and counteraccusations between Hermoso and Rubiales, the federation issued a statement early Saturday saying that its president did not lie and that he and the organization would take legal action against Hermoso and her union. The statement included photos that it said show Hermoso lifting Rubiales off the ground during the medals ceremony.
The president of Spain’s women’s league, Beatriz Álvarez, told Spanish state broadcaster RTVE that she was not surprised because Rubiales’ “ego is above his dignity.” Iberia airlines, a major sponsor of the federation, said it supported the government’s initiative to “protect the rights and dignity of our athletes.”
FIFA, the governing body of soccer, opened a disciplinary case against Rubiales on Thursday. Disciplinary judges can impose sanctions on individuals ranging from warnings and fines to suspensions from the sport. Rubiales made 339,000 euros in 2021 after taxes, for presiding over the federation with a budget of 382 million euros . The federation runs Spain’s men’s and women’s national soccer teams and its semi-professional and amateur soccer leagues. It also organizes the referees for La Liga. The government maintains some oversight of the entity but it cannot name or remove its executives.
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