Jenni Hermoso has been called up by Spain for the first time since she was kissed on the lips by Luis Rubiales after the World Cup final.
Hermoso was included in Montse Tomé’s squad for the Nations League games against Italy and Switzerland this month. She had been omitted from the first squad after the World Cup amid the controversy ignited by Rubiales’s kiss.
Tomé said then that Hermoso had not been included because it was “the best way to protect” the player, who responded by saying: “Protect me from what? And from whom?”
Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss by Rubiales, who was then president of the Spanish football federation. He is under investigation by Spain’s high court for alleged sexual assault and coercion after a criminal complaint by Hermoso.
Hermoso and other Spain players have testified as witnesses in the investigation into Rubiales’s actions. Rubiales eventually resigned and almost all the players ended their boycott of the national team after being given guarantees of change within the federation following the intervention of government officials.
Rubiales has claimed the kiss was consensual and vowed in a lengthy statement to defend his “innocence”.
Tomé named Spain’s World Cup‑winning players in her first squad, even though they had asked not to play until their demands for change were accepted. Some federation officials have since been fired and a joint committee involving players has been created.
Hermoso, who plays for the Mexican club Pachuca, previously criticised the federation for calling up her World Cup-winning teammates without their consent. Not responding to a call-up can expose players to a fine or ban.
