Had Luis Rubiales expressed sincere regret after landing an inappropriate post-match kiss on the World Cup-winning star Jenni Hermoso, he might not currently be the most derided and isolated public figure in Spain. Instead, the head of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) issued a transparent non-apology, claiming the act had been misunderstood and was a consensual moment of celebration. When Ms Hermoso firmly disagreed, Mr Rubiales disgracefully used his power to try to discredit the player and threatened her with legal action for lying. That in itself should have been sufficient for him to be forced out of office if – as proved to be the case – he refused to resign.
What has since unfolded has been a global embarrassment for Spain, exposing to the world the hidebound attitudes and sense of masculine entitlement at the top of one of its most important civil institutions.
An extraordinary assembly of the RFEF, held last Friday, amounted to an attempted public humiliation of Ms Hermoso and the repositioning of Mr Rubiales as the victim of the episode. Calls for his resignation, he told the meeting, had been prompted by a “false feminism” and a witch-hunt against him. Prior choreography ensured a craven standing ovation from cronies – in an audience in which some female members said they had been pressured to sit on the front row. Amid widespread public revulsion, many of those present U-turned within hours, and said their president should resign after all.
Mr Rubiales has proved himself a narcissistic, confrontational bully. Having overstepped professional boundaries in such a grotesque fashion, it is inconceivable that he should remain the institutional face of Spanish football. The entirety of the women’s World Cup squad has said that it will go on strike while Mr Rubiales stays in post. It would have been helpful if more high-profile male players had offered support. But condemnation has come from across the Spanish political spectrum and, belatedly, from the RFEF itself. Fifa, world football’s governing body, has suspended him from football activities. He has to go.
Once that happens – as surely it will – Mr Rubiales’s arrogance may eventually be seen to have done women’s football, and Spain more generally, a favour. In the words of Yolanda Díaz, a deputy prime minister in Spain’s caretaker government, the past week has egregiously laid bare “the worst of Spanish society, of the structural machismo of this country”. In recent years, Spain has pioneered progressive legislation on rape, domestic violence and equal pay, and boasts one of the most vibrant feminist movements in the world. But, as elsewhere in Europe, liberal reform has been countered by the emergence of a virulent “anti-woke” politics on the right. During its recent rise to prominence, the far-right Vox party has made a point of railing against “feminazis” and “gender ideology”.
Mr Rubiales attempted to channel some of that agenda for his own purposes. Hearteningly, the move spectacularly backfired. The breadth of support expressed for Ms Hermoso, inside and outside football, clearly indicates which side Spain is on in this particular culture war. As for the country’s female footballers, this crisis has overshadowed what should have been an unforgettable summer for happier reasons. But after years of overachievement and underresourcing, it also represents a golden opportunity to address longstanding complaints – about an overbearing macho culture in the game; a lack of investment compared with their male peers; and an absence of respect symbolised by an uncalled-for kiss.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
