The president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, has come under fire after footage has emerged of him kissing the team’s forward, Jenni Hermoso, directly on the lips after Spain beat England 1-0 in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday.
The kiss was captured on camera during the post-match trophy presentation, subsequently prompting a social media outrage.
Hermoso said on a live stream afterwards that she “didn’t like it” but then later said it was a “natural gesture of affection”.
“It was a totally spontaneous mutual gesture because of the immense joy that winning a World Cup brings,” said Hermoso, in comments given to AFP by the Spanish federation. “The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour with all of us has been outstanding and it was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude. ” She added: «There’s no need to overanalyse a gesture of friendship and gratitude; we’ve won a World Cup, and we won’t stray from what’s important. ”
Footage from the match also shows Rubiales kissing Olga Carmona, who scored the decisive goal against England. Earlier, while watching the match in the stands, Rubiales had celebrated the final whistle by grabbing his crotch next to Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter Sofia.
