Luis Rubiales sabotaged what should have been the crowning glory of the women's team. Photo: Getty Images/Noemi Llamas/
From the heights of the stands at Stadium Australia, the fateful moment was initially difficult to discern. Attention turned to the England players who, having lost the World Cup final, lay huddled on the Sydney turf in various states of anguish. Their agony contrasted sharply with the body language of the 23 young Spanish women who lined up to receive their winners' medals at a national party led by Queen Letizia, Princess Sofia and one overly energetic gentleman named Luis Rubiales.
Until, as usual, the champions break free amid a cloud of golden ticker tape. But the television footage had an ominous overtone, capturing the moment when Rubiales, grabbing Jenny Hermoso by the head in a way that left her no room to maneuver, kissed her attacker on the lips. The initial reactions of viewers who noticed this were variations on the theme: did he just do what I think he did?
Disbelief soon turned into rage at how the head of the Spanish federation, a man whose presence in Australia was purely ceremonial, sabotaged what should have been the crowning glory of these players' lives.
This was not just the act of an unbridled egoist desperately trying to enjoy the radiance. It was an abuse of power that, coupled with allegations that then-coach Jorge Vilda wanted his team to leave hotel rooms unlocked until midnight so he could check them, points to the rancid culture at the heart of Spanish football. In one evening, Rubiales revealed his character to a global audience. In addition to grabbing his crotch with the Queen of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter, he kissed Hermoso in a way she admitted she didn't like before declaring he would marry her in Ibiza.
< p>Once upon a time, this might have been dismissed as the rude behavior of an arrogant executive whose playing career was cut short by a loan spell at Hamilton. This time the tinderbox caught fire. Within hours, Rubiales was catapulted from boardroom obscurity to global villainy. Within a week, he united everyone from Andres Iniesta to the European Parliament in condemnation. A month later, he resigned and put his house in Madrid up for sale to pay legal fees.
The scandal challenged all known conventions. In politics, the general rule is that a beleaguered minister needs to hold out for 10 days before the focus of the news moves elsewhere. But the Rubiales hell has raged for more than 30 years and still shows no signs of abating. It is such a grim psychodrama that his mother, Angeles Behar, went on a three-day hunger strike, barricading herself in a small church in Motril, near Granada, to protest his treatment. His uncle Juan was less favorable, describing him as «obsessed with power, luxury, money and women» and with «a clear macho [sexist] undertone.»
Urban artist TVBoy's mural depicts Luis Rubiales kissing Jenny Hermoso on a wall in Barcelona. Photo: Shutterstock/Quique Garcia
Sexism is a crucial context here. While the kiss underscored Rubiales' arrogance, it was doubly egregious when compared to the broader experience of the women's national team. Long before Vilda faced accusations of awkward micromanagement and accusations of routinely searching the bags of its players, La Roja had to come to terms with 27-year-old Ignacio Quereda, whose idea of motivation was — as vividly documented in one Spanish film — to tighten them cheeks. and ears until it hurts, while telling them: “All you need is a man.”
Decades of humiliation led Hermoso and her teammates to decide they would no longer put up with it. Ultimately, any excuse that Rubiales was too tactile was destroyed by the «yes means yes» law recently passed in Spain, leading Equality Minister Irene Montero to label his behavior «sexual violence.» Thus the momentum of this long-suffering party proved unstoppable. A little over four weeks ago, Rubiales felt free to kiss Hermoso as he pleased. Today, a restraining order prevents him from coming within 200 meters of her. As the judge determines whether to go to trial, he could still face up to four years in prison if convicted of sexual assault.
Se akabo became the slogan of the revolution. «Everything is over.» But is it? At first glance, progress was moving at incredible speed, and Rubiales was doomed to extreme humiliation, despite his promise not to give up. The outrage was consistent across women's football, with England's Sarina Wiegman dedicating her UEFA Coach of the Year award to victorious rivals Spain, saying: «They deserve to be celebrated and listened to.»
We expect such statements from Wigman, a passionate advocate for her sport. They are needed more urgently from men who can drive change. So far, few have dared to take the step, with UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin remaining grimly cagey. Even when asked last month in Monaco about the importance of football «leading by example», he responded with the emptiest of platitudes: «Whatever happens in football, good or bad, is important.»
Spaniards Alexia Putellas (left), Jennifer Hermoso (center) and Irene Paredes celebrate their victory at the World Championships. Photo: Reuters/Hannah Mackay
Who was Ceferin trying to protect? At this stage, Rubiales may still have been UEFA vice-president, but he was already an international pariah from whom any leader with an ounce of moral fiber would have had to run a mile away. Don't forget that these people have a low bar to overcome. Even at the World Cup, the most successful women's competition in history, the ridiculous Gianni Infantino said only that women need to «convince us men of what we must do.»
Ladies of the court, push the door, and All. will be revealed: this is the whole meaningless message of Infantino. But not when people like Rubiales show a disregard for boundaries in plain sight, or when people influenced by Čeferin invent any form of words to avoid publicly criticizing him. And even more so at a time when the victorious Spanish team is facing legal action from their own federation for daring to demand more respect for women.
You might think that this astonishing saga would have been lost by now ability to shock. Yet there was something incredibly grim about the spectacle this week when Spanish players, a month after winning the top prize, were forced to attend training against their will. Even in the midst of unparalleled furor, it must be remembered that football's abandonment of Rubiales is just the first step towards throwing off the yoke of legal patriarchy.
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