- FIFA suspended Spain soccer chief Luis Rubiales for a public kiss player said was not consensual.
- Jenni Hermoso said it was a forced kiss, and players on her own team have stood by her.
As the women's soccer world is rocked by a powerful man's forced kiss on a female player, it's hard not to miss one thing: the men who remain at his side.
In a moment of celebration after Spain won the Women's World Cup final, Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales grabbed star player Jenni Hermoso on both sides of her head and kissed her on the lips.
The public scene elicited outrage from many fans around the world. Hermoso said afterward that she unequivocally did not consent to the kiss.
Rubiales, 46, said it was just a "peck" and that he was being targeted by "false feminists." He claimed it was an innocent celebratory moment and that the kiss was "the same I could give one of my daughters," the Associated Press reported.
"I will not resign," Rubiales repeated several times in quick succession at an emergency meeting on Friday discussing Rubiales' conduct.
—Reuters (@Reuters) August 25, 2023
Despite women soccer players from around the world rallying around Hermoso, the crowd before Rubiales at the emergency meeting — mostly male and including some coaches — appeared to support his decision not to resign over the forced kiss.
They, in fact, applauded him, a video of the moment shows.
Among those seen applauding are Jorge Vilda, the coach of Spain's team, as well as Luis de la Fuente, the coach of the men's national team, NPR reported. Spain's soccer federation, which Rubiales heads, even threatened legal action against Hermoso for her claims.
Once the video began making the rounds, some of the men seen celebrating Rubiales' refusal to resign began to walk back their apparent support. De La Fuente later released a statement rejecting Rubials' behavior.
"I unreservedly condemn the wrong and inappropriate behavior of the President of the RFEF," he said in a statement.
The other players on the Spanish women's national team have since pledged to boycott playing until Rubiales is removed from his position.
Amid the backlash, FIFA announced on Saturday that Rubiales was suspended for 90 days.