All Things Sports

Hi guys, welcome back to All Things Sports! Today, we are going to be talking about the controversies surrounding the Spanish Women’s National Soccer team. This is a team that actually won their first Women’s World Cup earlier this year yet, somehow, this seems to be overshadowed by all the off-field drama that has occurred with the team, both before and after the tournament. The story came to a head during the celebrations of the team’s triumph when the now former Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales kissed player Julie Hermoso without her consent during the celebrations, and attempted to justify it.

After a chaotic year filled with mutiny and other adversity, the Spanish Women’s National team managed to beat the vaunted English Lionesses in the Women’s World Cup Final. Everyone thought the drama that had plagued this team for over a year now was over. However, during the celebrations, Luis Rubiales kissed player Julie Hermoso on the lips, in what he claimed was a consensual “little peck”. Now, this is where it gets out of hand. Hermoso initially defended the actions of Rubiales saying it was an act of joy, however she did specify that the RFEF pressured her into making a statement defending his actions. Uhhhh, what? They wanted to defend a non-consensual act? In 2023? Hermoso repeatedly said that she did not consent to the kiss and that it was not okay, yet Rubiales still to this day has not budged on his claims that it was all okay. His mother even went on a hunger strike for a period of time to defend her son. Yeah, you read that right. However, this gets even weirder. After the public outroar from not just the football community but politicians and public figures in Spain, FIFA launched a disciplinary investigation into Rubiales’ conduct. Then, the most shocking twist of all: FIFA did something good. Do you know how wrong you have to be for FIFA to call you out on it?  They suspended Rubiales for 90 days while they continued to conduct their own investigation. However, this was rendered unnecessary as calls for Rubiales to resign grew louder and louder with some people, such as Real Betis striker Borja Iglesias, saying they wouldn’t play for the national team until the situation had been resolved. Even Jorge Vilda, who has since been fired, called for him to resign and his coaching staff(11 of them to be specific) quit in support of Hermoso. The guy who had his back had even turned on him. Eventually he did resign and he is now facing charges from Spanish prosecutors for sexual assault after formally being accused of sexual assault and harrasment by Hermoso. The outcomes of this lawsuit have yet to be determined, but I do hope that the prosecutors are successful. 

It is important to note that while many came out and defended Hermoso, many also came out against her. They told her to “move on” and that “it’s not that big of a deal”. To these people I say this: it is ABSOLUTELY a big deal. You mean to tell me someone did something to another person without their consent and they shouldn’t face punishment for it? It’s even worse when you consider that that person was in a position of power and may have even kept that power if pressure from others didn’t grow. It doesn’t matter how big or small of an act it is, consent is consent. As Deshaun Watson should have learned, no means no. There is a precedent to be set here, especially when considering the fact that the “Me Too” wave is really starting to hit Spain in full force. This needs to be a catalyst for the movement in the country as many like those who commented “move on” seek to deny progress. If global stars are allowed to be violated on global television, then what kind of precedent does that set for the rest of society? Rubiales can try and justify his actions all he wants, but the fact of the matter is that he was wrong. Plain and simple.  Nobody should ever kiss someone without their consent and when they make that horrendous mistake, they should at least have the decency to be accountable for it. The worst part is that I can’t even talk about the ramifications for a very successful Women’s World Cup without talking about the controversy surrounding the world champions.  Hopefully in the future people will be able to see that this was the most successful Women’s World Cup in history, and not have to worry about the actions of Rubiales because he got punished for them. Let’s hope that this kiss turns out to be a kiss of death to not only Rubiales’ career, but also harassment and abuse.