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Furore over kiss grows as prosecutors launch probe against Rubiales

The move increased the pressure on Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation

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People hold red cards as they protest against President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales. — Reuters

By Reuters/AP

Published: Mon 28 Aug 2023, 10:29 PM

Spain's High Court prosecutor on Monday opened a preliminary investigation into whether national football chief Luis Rubiales might have committed an act of sexual aggression when he grabbed player Jenni Hermoso and kissed her on the lips after Spain's victory in the women's World Cup.

A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office said the court had received several complaints but would only launch a full inquiry if Hermoso sought one. She says she did not want to be kissed.

The move increased the pressure on Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), who was suspended by Fifa on Saturday amid a furore over the incident at the ceremony following Spain's World Cup win in Sydney on August 20.

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RFEF has called regional federations to an urgent meeting on Monday to evaluate the situation, which has spiralled into a national row over women's rights, macho behaviour and sexual abuse.

Rubiales, 46, has refused to step down, saying the kiss - which took place in a globally-watched live broadcast - was consensual. Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government say it was unwanted and demeaning.

Acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said on Monday that Rubiales' defiance and the support from some federation members showed that macho behaviour was systematic in Spanish society.

"What footballer Jenni Hermoso experienced should never have happened," Diaz said in a video statement prior to a meeting with the women players' union.

All 23 players on Spain's cup-winning squad including Hermoso, as well as dozens of other squad members, said on Friday they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation. Their next match is away to Sweden in the Nations League on Sept. 22.

SPONTANEOUS?

At a federation meeting on Friday where he had been widely expected to step down, Rubiales refused to quit, seeking to defend his behaviour and calling the kiss "spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual".

RFEF has said Rubiales will defend himself legally to prove "his complete innocence".

Diaz, who is also deputy prime minister in the acting Socialist government, met on Monday with representatives of the women's players' union FUTPRO, which represents Hermoso, and the Association of Spanish Footballers.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, she condemned RFEF members who had applauded Rubiales' non-resignation on Friday. Diaz called for victims of sexual harassment and violence to be better protected.

"On Friday we saw the worst of Spanish society, of the structural machismo of this country," she said.

"They clapped and humiliated and made fun of a person they had the obligation to protect under the sports law and far from doing that, they inflicted more damage, more pain, more vexation."

The coaches who applauded Rubiales were not fit to stay in their posts, she said.

Hermoso has said she did not consent to the kiss and felt "vulnerable and the victim of an aggression".

Gender issues are a prominent topic in Spain. Tens of thousands of women have taken part in street marches protesting against sexual abuse and violence in recent years, and the Socialist-led coalition government has reformed laws including around equal pay and abortion rights.

Feminist groups have called a demonstration on Monday in Madrid entitled "With You Jenni". Hundreds of people participated in another on Sunday in Salamanca against Rubiales.

Uefa suspension

The Spanish football federation has asked Uefa to suspend it from international competitions because of government interference over demands to remove its beleaguered president from office.

The move was widely seen as an attempt to silence some of Rubiales' critics, including government ministers who have asked for his removal, as such a suspension would ban Spanish teams from competitions like the Champions League and could sway public opinion in favour of letting him keep his job.

Football's governing bodies have long-standing rules barring national governments from interfering with the running of the domestic football federations.

However, Uefa will not comply with the Spanish federation's request for a sanction, a person familiar with the issue told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision-making process was confidential.

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Reuters/AP

Published: Mon 28 Aug 2023, 10:29 PM

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