Hermoso issued a statement through her union hours after Rubiales claimed in an emergency meeting of the Spanish soccer federation that the kiss was consensual.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn no moment did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no moment did I try to pick up the president\u201d: Spain\u2019s Jennifer Hermoso.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Facing his possible removal from office, Rubiales refused to step down despite the uproar he caused with the kiss, which happened during a medals ceremony last Sunday after the Women\u2019s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t resign,\u201d Luis Rubiales declared four times in quick succession at the meeting.<\/p>\n The 46-year-old Rubiales, who was also chastised for grabbing his crotch after Spain\u2019s 1-0 victory over England on Sunday, is under immense pressure to leave his post.<\/p>\n The kiss marred the title celebrations in front of a global audience, and criticism has steadily mounted. Spain\u2019s acting prime minister, players unions, players for Spain\u2019s women\u2019s team, and even some players on men\u2019s teams have said he must go.<\/p>\n Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales caused an uproar after he kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the World Cup victory celebrations.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Reuters<\/cite><\/p>\n Several Spanish news media outlets reported on Thursday that Rubiales would step down. Instead, he remained defiant on Friday, claiming before the federation\u2019s assembly that the kiss was \u201cmutual and with the consent\u201d of Hermoso and that he is the victim of a witch hunt by \u201cfalse feminists.\u201d<\/p>\n He was applauded by the overwhelming male assembly.<\/p>\n While Rubiales held his ground, federation vice president Rafael del Amo, who had been in charge of women\u2019s soccer, announced that he was resigning, followed by at least two other federation members. Del Amo had urged Rubiales to also resign.<\/p>\n Among those supporting Rubiales were women\u2019s national team coach Jorge Vilda and men\u2019s national team coach Luis de la Fuente. Until Friday\u2019s assembly, he had received no public support in Spain, with political parties from both the left and the right speaking out against him.<\/p>\n In his speech to the assembly on Friday, Rubiales said Hermoso \u201clifted me up\u201d in a celebratory gesture and he asked her for \u201ca little kiss?\u201d and she \u201csaid yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe kiss was the same I could give one of my daughters,\u201d Rubiales said.<\/p>\n Luis Rubiales has refused to resign despite an uproar for kissing Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without her consent.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n The televised broadcast of the medals ceremony didn\u2019t show the first moments when Rubiales congratulated Hermoso. But it does show that his feet were on the ground before he held her face and kissed her.<\/p>\n Hermoso contradicted Rubiales\u2019 version in a statement issued later through her FUTRPO players\u2019 union. She said \u201cin no moment did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no moment did I try to pick up the president.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t tolerate anyone putting in doubt my word and even more so that anyone invents words that I did not say.\u201d<\/p>\n The soccer federation first responded to the scandal by releasing a statement in which Hermoso downplayed Rubiales\u2019 action. Later, however, sports website Relevo.com reported that the federation had coerced her into making the statement. The federation denied this to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n Hermoso had said in a video streamed on social media after the kiss last Sunday that \u201cI didn\u2019t like it, but what can I do?\u201d Later, her players union issued a statement on her behalf saying that it would defend her interests and ensure that the act \u201cdoes not go unpunished.\u201d<\/p>\n Rubiales said he would defend his honour in court against politicians, including two ministers, who called his kiss an act of sexual violence. One of them was acting Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda D\u00edaz, who urged the government to take \u201curgent measures.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cImpunity for macho actions is over,\u201d D\u00edaz said. \u201cRubiales cannot continue in office.\u201d<\/p>\n Alexia Putellas, Hermoso\u2019s teammate and a two-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner as the best player in the world, posted a message of support on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is unacceptable,\u201d the Barcelona player wrote. \u201cI\u2019m with you, my teammate, Jenni Hermoso.\u201d<\/p>\n Other teammates quickly followed.<\/p>\n Aitana Bonmat\u00ed, the Spain midfielder named the best player of the Women\u2019s World Cup, said on X: \u201cThere are limits that you cannot cross and we cannot tolerate this. We are with our teammate.\u201d Team captain Ivana Andr\u00e9s and Olga Carmona, whose goal won the final, also joined in showing their support for Hermoso.<\/p>\n The president of Spain\u2019s women\u2019s league, Beatriz \u00c1lvarez, told Spanish state broadcaster RTVE that she was not surprised because Rubiales\u2019 \u201cego is above his dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat surprises and scandalises me are his words,\u201d \u00c1lvarez said. \u201cEvery time he speaks he shows what kind of person he really is.\u201d<\/p>\n Spanish soccer club Barcelona, which provided nine players for Spain\u2019s team, said Rubiales\u2019 behavior \u201cwas completely inappropriate.\u201d Sevilla called for his resignation. Espanyol also joined in the criticism.<\/p>\n FIFA, the governing body of soccer, opened a disciplinary case against Rubiales on Thursday. The FIFA disciplinary committee will decide whether Rubiales violated its code relating to \u201cthe basic rules of decent conduct\u201d or behaved \u201cin a way that brings the sport of football and\/or FIFA into disrepute.\u201d<\/p>\n Disciplinary judges can impose sanctions on individuals ranging from warnings and fines to suspensions from the sport. FIFA gave no timetable for the ruling.<\/p>\n The Netherlands-based FIFPRO player\u2019s union, which had already demanded action against Rubiales, reiterated its position after his assembly speech.<\/p>\n The only relevant institution to remain silent has been European soccer body UEFA, for which Rubiales is a vice president. FIFPRO urged UEFA to open its own disciplinary case.<\/p>\n Shortly before the kiss, Rubiales grabbed his crotch in a victory gesture, with Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-year old Princess Sof\u00eda standing nearby.<\/p>\n He offered an apology for that, saying it was in a moment of \u201ceuphoria\u201d and directed toward Vilda on the field.<\/p>\n The first members of the elite in Spanish men\u2019s soccer spoke out against Rubiales on Thursday, when it looked like he was bowing out. Their words of reproach continued to trickle in after Rubiales\u2019 diatribe on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat an embarrassment,\u201d former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas said on X. \u201cWe should have spent the last five days talking about our women players, about the joy they gave us all! About how proud we are that they gave us a title that we didn\u2019t have in women\u2019s soccer, instead \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Real Betis forward Borja Iglesias, who has occasionally been called up for Spain\u2019s national team, said he would not play for his country again \u201cuntil things change.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\u2018Rubiales cannot continue in office\u2019<\/h3>\n