Spain star releases fresh statement after Spanish FA chief kissed her on lips
Spain star Jenni Hermoso has released a statement attempting to downplay the moment Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales kissed her on the lips after the World Cup final.
Hermoso had just been presented with her World Cup winners medal by FIFA president Gianni Infantino after Spain beat England 1-0 in the final when she was greeted by Rubiales, who hugged her before grabbing her by the head and kissing her on the lips.
The incident drew widespread outrage, with Hermoso stating she "did not enjoy that" when asked about the kiss on Instagram Live - and former England star Casey Stoney wrote on social media: "Would he kiss a male player like this? This is NOT ok".
Rubiales, meanwhile, said it was "a minor show of affection" and called those condemning his actions "idiots". He told Radio Marca : "The kiss with Jenni? There are idiots everywhere. When two people have a minor show of affection, we can't listen to idiocies. We are champions and that is what stays with me."
In an attempt to play down the incident, the Spanish football federation have released a new statement to AFP where Hermoso says the kiss was "a natural gesture of affection and gratitude". She said: "It was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense joy that winning a World Cup brings.
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"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. A gesture of friendship and gratitude cannot be gone over so much, we have won a World Cup and we are not going to deviate from what is important."
Hermoso is Spain's all-time leading goalscorer and the World Cup is the latest trophy she has won during her illustrious career. Across stints at Rayo Vallecano, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, Hermoso has lifted seven Spanish league titles and also started for Barcelona as they beat Chelsea to win the 2021 Champions League final.
Jenni Hermoso was kissed on her lips by Spain FA president Luis Rubiales (RTVE)Despite her success at club level, the Pachuca star says the World Cup victory is the "best feeling I've experienced". She said: "We've been trying to imagine this for many days. We're not aware that we're world champions. It's the best feeling I've experienced in soccer in my life, it's tremendous. We've played soccer the way we wanted and we've won a world championship."
England captainMillie Bright, meanwhile, said her side were "heartbroken" to have fallen short in the final. "This is not it from us," she vowed. "I am sure we'll bounce back but for now it's hard to take. There are probably one million different feelings. Pride, disappointment – heartbroken that we didn't win.
"The girls were unbelievable. We had a lot of critics, a few lost belief in us but we never stopped believing. Sometimes football goes for you, sometimes against you. The mentality and the character have always been there. We show that, day in, day out, and in every game. We've just played in a World Cup final, it's hard to see it like that at the moment."
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