Spain’s World Cup winning team agreed to put an end to their three week long boycott on Wednesday after the country’s football federation (Royal Spanish Football Federation) agreed to make “immediate and profound changes.”
When winning an event as big as the World Cup, you’d expect everything to be all smiles. But that joy was short lived for the Spanish Women’s National Football team.
While player Jenni Hermoso went up to get her badge, she received an unconsented kiss from Luis Rubiales, vice president of the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) while it was all being globally broadcasted and aired live on tv.
When being questioned by reporters shortly after the event, Rubiales exclaimed that those who were criticizing him were “idiots” and that it was merely just “a peck between two friends.”
Viewers all over the world saw this as one thing, however: authority being abused and a case of assault. The call for Rubiales to resign was demanded.
“The incident in which I have been involved in is the final straw,” stated Hermoso hours after the remarks Rubiales made. “No person, in any, work, sports, or social setting, should be a victim of these behaviors,” she wrote, making it clear she never consented to the kiss.
All 23 members of the World Cup-winning squad, including Hermoso, and nearly 50 other professional female soccer players then stated they would not play for the national team until Rubiales was removed and added that they did not yet feel “in a safe place.”
After the tremendous support Hermoso was shown by not just her teammates, but fans worldwide, Rubiales had no choice but to step down as UEFA vice president while the Spanish court investigates the sexual assault case.
The court imposed a restraining order to prevent Rubiales from coming within 200 meters of Hermoso and has been replaced as vice president by executive committee member Armand Duka.
RFEF president Pedro Rocha states in an announcement, “[This is] more than a symbolic step, we want this to mark a change in concept, and that football is football, whoever plays it.”
The players have said that they are more than ready to shift their focus and “just stick to football.”
