President of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales admitted that he could not control his emotions when he kissed female player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the 2023 World Cup medal ceremony.
The moment Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips after the 2023 Women's World Cup final on August 20 caused outrage among the Spanish public. Screenshot
In a video posted by the RFEF on August 21, Rubiales began by stating that Spanish football had just made a historic milestone and was experiencing one of its happiest days. He said that the RFEF and the team had worked hard for a long time and were proud of winning the 2023 Women's World Cup.
"There is one thing I regret and that is what happened between me and a female player, with whom I have a great relationship, as well as other members of the team," Rubiales continued about the kiss with Hermoso. "I have to admit that I made a mistake, in a moment of extreme excitement."
The RFEF chief dismissed the outburst with Hermoso as normal, but still had to apologise in the face of criticism. "I see it as natural, normal and without any bad intentions, but it caused chaos outside," Rubiales continued. "It seems that people were hurt by this and I had to apologise, there was no other choice."
Rubiales sees this as a lesson and must learn from it, be more careful, especially in celebrations and similar complex issues, as the head of Spanish football.
Rubiales kisses Hermoso on the lips during the Spanish women's coronation ceremony after the 2023 World Cup final on August 20.
A day earlier, on Radio Marca , Rubiales said that the kiss with Hermoso was just "two people showing affection in a gentle way" and did not care about "stupid people", referring to those who were angry at his behavior. In the new video, Rubiales also apologized for this statement.
"I want to apologize to these people, because if the matter is viewed differently, then surely they have their own reasons," he said.
The RFEF president also regretted that the incident caused unnecessary noise, on the day Spain made history by winning the Women's World Cup for the first time. Rubiales emphasized that coach Jorge Vilda and the women's players deserve the attention at this time and the championship celebration must be organized grandly.
Rubiales was on stage at the FIFA awards ceremony after the 2023 Women's World Cup final on August 20 alongside other dignitaries, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Queen Letizia of Spain and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. On the podium, after presenting the medal, Rubiales hugged Hermoso, put both hands on her head and kissed her on the lips. The RFEF President then patted her on the back as the No. 11 player left.
The incident has left Rubiales facing a wave of criticism. Spain's Minister of Culture and Sports Miquel Iceta said the RFEF chief's kiss on the lips was "unacceptable" and demanded an apology. However, Hermoso's mother, Marisol Fuentes, told TVE : "Spain is the champion, the rest doesn't matter."
Rubiales is a former player, who grew up in the Atletico youth academy, and won the Spanish Second Division with Levante in 2004 and played in La Liga.
After retiring in 2009, Rubiales was elected President of the Spanish Footballers' Association and then elected President of the RFEF in May 2018. One of Rubiales' first major decisions was to fire coach Julen Lopetegui just before Spain's 2018 World Cup, after the coach secretly reached an agreement to coach Real Madrid.
Hong Duy
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