Luis Rubiales, the chief of the Spain FA, had a bizarre method of celebration following the women’s team winning the World Cup on Sunday.
As the squad accepted their medals and met the Queen and Princess of Spain, Rubiales was there to greet each of the players. In addition to shaking their hands and hugging them, he would provide a kiss on the cheek. This is quite common in Europe. What is not common is the fact that Rubiales kissed Spain’s Jenni Hermoso on the lips.
When questioned about the impromptu incident after the trophy celebration, Hermoso admitted that she did not expect nor enjoy the moment. “Eh, I didn’t like it,” Hermoso told a teammate during a social media video.
However, the bizarre behavior from Rubiales did not stop there. A kit room stream on Salma Paralluelo’s Instagram Live showed Rubiales talking to players. Colin Millar from The Mirror says Rubiales told the players the Spain FA will pay for a trip for the women to Ibiza. There, he will get married to Hermoso.
A Spanish FA spokesperson tried to provide some context on the incident in a comment to the AFP.
“It’s a spontaneous celebration that happened like that, the two are good friends.”
Spain FA chief defends actions after World Cup
Rubiales joined Marca after the celebrations to give his own comments on the situation. Yet, he also made it seem like a nothing-story.
“The kiss with Jenni? There are idiots all over. When two people have a moment of affection without any importance, we can’t listen to idiocy. We’re champions and I stay with that.”
Viewers took great exception with Rubiales’s behavior toward the team. Most of the criticism on social media pointed toward Rubiales taking the moment away from the players who achieved their greatest sporting goals. This was Spain’s first time in a Women’s World Cup Final, and the squad showed that it was a class above the other nations at this year’s tournament.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo
