FA chief admits World Cup kiss was "wrong" after U-turning on "idiots" stance
Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has apologised for kissing World Cup star Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the nation's celebrations.
Hermoso said she "did not enjoy it" when Rubiales kissed her on the lips after she received her winner's medal on Sunday. The Spanish FA chief did so after congratulating the 33-year-old for her role in defeating England 1-0 in the World Cup final in Sydney.
Hermoso was handed her medal by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and was greeted by several other dignitaries. Among them was Rubiales, who gave Hermoso a hug before briefly speaking to her and then placing his hands on the back of her head and pulling her in to kiss her on the lips.
Rubiales said in an apology video posted online on Monday afternoon: "There is something that I regret and it is everything that has happened between me and a player, with whom I have a magnificent relationship – just as I do with the other players.
"This is an incident in which I have surely been wrong, I have to admit it because at a moment of maximum emotion and without any bad intention, and without any bad faith, what happened did so in a really spontaneous manner."
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The Spanish FA chief added: "Here (in the stadium) it was something natural, normal – so we did not understand the commotion. There was no bad faith. Elsewhere, it seems that an uproar has occurred, of course, if there are people who have felt damaged by this I have to apologise, there is no other choice other than learning from this and understanding that when you are president of an institution as important as the Spanish Federation you have to be more careful in procedure and these type of issues."
Hermoso was kissed on her lips by Spain FA president Rubiales after the match (RTVE)It represents a U-turn for Rubiales, who told Radio Marca on Sunday that the incident was "a minor show of affection" and called those condemning his actions "idiots". He bullishly had said: “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."
Explaining away that previous statement, Rubiales explained: "There are also some statements on my part where, within this context (of the excitement of the match and stadium), when I say that something feels idiotic to me, that is why, because in here (the stadium) not one person gave it the slightest bit of importance, but outside (the stadium) they did."
Footage of the incident swiftly went viral on social media with supporters of the Spanish team and many others highlighting the actions of Rubiales and stating that they were inappropriate. Hermoso then spoke of the incident on her Instagram Live account after the match.
The star said of the incident: "Eh... yeah, I did not enjoy that." She was then asked by an unidentified teammate: "Sis, what have you done"? Hermoso replied: "What can I do, look at me." An unidentified male member of staff then asked: "Did he use tongue?"
The apology statement from the president on Monday added: "It is true that I am sorry because given the greatest success in our history in women's football and one of the greatest in general – this is the second World Cup that we have won – that this has somewhat tarnished the celebration."
Further footage was posted on Spain forward Salma Paralluelo's Instagram Live account, showing Rubiales entering the players' dressing room after the match. He informed them that they must visit the Spanish island of Ibiza, as that is where he will marry Hermoso.
Rubiales was also pictured kissing Olga Carmona after the game (Twitter@https://twitter.com/PabloEchenique)The kiss with Hermoso did not appear to be an isolated incident, with Rubiales also pictured kissing the cheek of Olga Carmona - the scorer of Spain's winning goal - during the on-field celebrations after the match.
In an attempt to play down the incident, the Spanish football federation has 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.
"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."
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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.
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