The Catalan government is calling for the resignation of the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, after the forced kiss he planted on the lips of footballer Jenni Hermoso in the medal ceremony after the Spanish women's team won Sunday's World Cup final. The football official's resignation is the demand made by Anna Caula, general secretary of Sport and Physical Activity for the Generalitat, adding in statements to Catalunya Ràdio this Monday that it was a "harsh aggression". The leader of Catalan sport called for "awareness that there are things that are not a price we have to pay". And she concluded: "There is still not equality in football and we have a lot of work left to do."
Translation of tweet:
"Another one who believes himself untouchable: 1) Rubiales calls those who criticize the lack of consent in his kiss to the player Jennifer Hermoso "arseholes". 2) Not only does he not apologise for it, but he boasts about it and insults those who denounce what happened. What do you see in these images?" — Nenedenadie, Twitter user
The Catalan sports head argued for Rubiales's resignation because "a federation president must be scrupulous about the ways of doing things". Caula affirmed that "what explains this kiss and the subsequent statements justifying are that we normalize attitudes that are not acceptable".
On the same issue, the acting Spanish equality minister, Irene Montero, denounced (above) that the "kiss without consent" is "a form of sexual violence that women suffer on a daily basis and up till now has been invisible", and warned that "we cannot normalize it." In her message on Twitter, Montero placed consent "at the centre", reiterating the line "only yes means yes", and arguing that "it is the task of the whole of society".
"Rape culture"
For her part, the Catalan minister of equality and feminism, Tània Verge, regretted that the kiss happened and emphasized that it is an example of "rape culture". "A graphic image of rape culture. Both forcing a kiss and justifying it. Shameful and intolerable," said the Catalan minister in a social media post in which the controversial moment can be seen.
Meanwhile, another acting Spanish minister, Miquel Iceta, holder of the culture and sport portfolio had a slightly different response, asserting that what the president of the Spanish football federation should do is explain what happened and "even apologize" for the kiss on the mouth he gave to Jenni Hermoso. At another time, Iceta said that the gesture of the football president was "unacceptable".
The player asks for the subject to be dropped
Jenni Hermoso has herself asserted that she wanted to close down everything that had been unleashed after she received the kiss on the mouth from the football president, just after the Spain women's team were proclaimed world champions. After being recorded in an initial comment after the kiss, saying that she hadn't liked it, but "what can you do?", she later asked for the issue to be put to rest and affirmed that the kiss was "a gesture of friendship and gratitude". "It was a completely spontaneous mutual gesture due to the immense joy that comes from winning a World Cup. The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour with all of us has been outstanding and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude", was how Jenni Hermoso was quoted in statements provided by the RFEF to the EFE agency. "You can't turn around a gesture of friendship and gratitude, we have won a World Cup and we will not deviate from what is important", she added after the team's convincing 1-0 victory over England at Stadium Australia, in Sydney.