Under normal circumstances, all the talk in Spain on this Monday would be about how the country's national team had won the World Cup for the first time. Instead, the country — and the wider world — is discussing an incident that occurred during the awards ceremony.
When Jenni Hermoso, Spain's No. 10, stepped up onto the podium to be congratulated by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Spain's Queen Leticia and Spanish FA (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales, Rubiales first kissed her on the cheek. Then he grabbed the 33-year-old by the head and kissed her on the mouth.
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Jenni Hermoso said “she didn’t enjoy” being kissed by Spanish football president Luis Rubiales who has now apologised to any “people who felt hurt” pic.twitter.com/ZaqZhuQtIO
"What was I supposed to do? I didn't like it," Hermoso said afterwards during a post-match livestream. Her reaction was mild in comparison to the reactions of some others.
"It should not be assumed that kissing without consent is something that just happens," Spain's equality minister, Irene Montero wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
"It is a form of sexual violence that we women suffer every day and that has been invisible until now and we must not normalize it."
Spanish Minister of Social Rights Ione Belarra was equally critical on the social media platform.
"We're all thinking, if they do this in front of all of Spain, what won't they do in private? Sexual violence against women must end."
Absence of a sense of guilt
Rubiales, though, appeared to wonder what all the fuss was about.
"The kiss with Jenni? There are idiots everywhere. When two people share an unimportant gesture of mutual affection with each other, you can't pay attention to the crap that's being said," the RFEF boss told Radio Marca.
This also came after he had reportedly told the players in the dressing room that he was going to send the entire team to Ibiza as a reward for winning the World Cup title.
"In Ibiza we will then celebrate the wedding of Jenni and Luis Rubiales," he reportedly said.
This is not the first time Rubiales, who last year vehemently backed national team coach Jorge Vildas in the face of a revolt by more than a dozen players, has been the subject of controversy.
Last year, Spanish media reported that he had allegedly held a party in early 2020 to which 8-10 women were invited. The reports alleged that the party wound up being an orgy and Rubiales subsequently billed it as a work event. Both the RFEF and its boss have denied the allegations.
A year after players' revolt
Rubiales' post-match actions have wound up overshadowing a sporting success no one would have thought possible just nine months ago. This is because by the end of September 2022, there was essentially no team left, after 15 players temporarily quit the national team in protest. The reason they gave was their "emotional and therefore (overall) health," which made it impossible for them to participate in the national team's games until "the situation" was corrected.
At the time, the main reason was apparently coach Jorge Vilda. The players who revolted accused him of failing to respect their privacy, ignoring the reserve players, and in general not creating a professional environment around the national team. A public dispute ensued with the RFEF, which supported Vilda and threatened the renegade players.
Despite the fact that the dispute was never resolved, Spain has obviously succeeded in winning the World Cup. Included in the winning team were three of the revolutionaries: Mariona Caldentey, Ona Batlle, and Aitana Bonmati. All three, who play for Champions League title holders Barcelona, were in the starting 11 in the final against England — and Bonmati was even voted best player of the tournament.
"I don't have words for this moment, it's unbelievable," she told the BBC. "I am so proud because we played a great tournament. We suffered, but we also enjoyed it. We deserved it."
Torn team, even in jubilation
It was obvious, however, that a rift still runs through the team and that the success at best glosses over ongoing tensions. While the players on the pitch formed a red jubilant cluster, a second crowd of euphoric people jumped up and down in front of the bench, separated from the first.
Among them was Olga Carmona, the winning-goal scorer, who only learned after the final whistle that her father, who had been suffering from a long illness, had died at home in Spain on the day of the final.
"I know you gave me the strength to achieve something unique. I know you watched me tonight and are proud of me," she later wrote on X.
Women's and men's world champions
Still, joy prevailed. Spain, which has already amassed an impressive collection of junior international titles in recent years, is now the first nation in the world after Germany to win both the men's and the women's World Cups.
"It was so hard, we tried to imagine it, but you can't imagine something like that. And now we are world champions. It's incredible," a teary-eyed Hermoso told German public broadcaster ZDF.
Little did she know she was about to unwillingly become a central figure in an incident that would threaten to overshadow this sporting success for days and even weeks to come.