Spain star Jenni Hermoso will pursue action against Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales after he kissed her without consent during the Women’s World Cup final.
Rubiales, 46, prompted widespread outrage after he grabbed the Spain forward by the head and kissed her on the lips during Sunday’s presentation ceremony and there have been calls for him to be removed from his position as head of the RFEF – Spain’s equivalent of the FA.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez described Rubiales’ subsequent apology as ‘not adequate’ while earlier on Wednesday the Spanish women’s league, Liga F, filed a complaint with the National Sports Council (Consejo Superior de Deportes – or CSD) calling for his removal.
The CSD could now have the power to act after Jenni Hermoso confirmed she would be pursuing action against Rubiales in a statement released on Wednesday evening via FUTPRO, a union for female footballers in Spain.
Hermoso’s statement was brief and read: ‘My FUTPRO union, in coordination with my TMJ agency, are taking charge of defending my interests and being the interlocutors on this matter.’
A lengthier statement from FUTPRO expanded on the complaint: ‘From our association we ask the Royal Spanish Football Federation to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players are upheld and adopt exemplary measures.
‘It is essential that our team is represented by figures who project their values of equality and respect in all areas.
‘It is necessary to continue advancing in the fight for equality, a fight that our players have led with determination, leading us to the position that we find ourselves in today.
‘We also call on the National Sports Council [CSD] so that, within its powers, it actively supports and promotes prevention and intervention in the face of sexual harassment or abuse, machismo and sexism.
‘We reject any attitude or conduct that violates the rights of soccer players.
‘From the union we are working so that acts like the ones we have seen never go unpunished, they are sanctioned and the pertinent measures are adopted to protect the football players from actions that we believe are unacceptable.’
Hermoso’s decision to pursue action against Rubiales would appear to confirm reports that a statement put out downplaying the incident pertaining to be from her was, in fact, written by the RFEF communications team without the 33-year-old’s approval.
According to reports in Spain, Rubiales also tried to convince Jenni Hermoso to appear in the apology video he filmed on Monday but she repeatedly refused to do so.