The president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, has come in for criticism after he kissed forward Jennifer Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in the World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday night.
The kiss – delivered on stage during the official post-match ceremony – was captured on camera and the vision prompted outrage on social media. Rubiales was on stage for FIFA’s awards ceremony following the final, along with other dignitaries, including soccer’s world governing body president Gianni Infantino, Spain’s Queen Letizia, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The video shows Rubiales embracing Hermoso, then putting both hands on her head before kissing her. He then pats her on the back as she walks away. “Hey, I didn’t like it, eh,” says Hermoso as she apparently answers questions about the incident in an Instagram live video – a clip of which was shared by Spanish journalist Irati Vida on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Later in the Instagram live video – taken in Spain’s locker room – Hermoso fields a question from another woman: “But what were you doing, sis?” The 33-year-old replies: “But what am I supposed to do?”
Video from the celebrations also shows Rubiales kissing other players on the cheeks and embracing them. Spain’s triumph in the Women’s World Cup came despite a long period of instability.