After winning the Women’s World Cup, Spain’s soccer players celebrated like Spaniards typically do, and that involves lots of hugging and yes, there is kissing involved. Well, the eyes of the easily outraged are all on Spain’s Soccer Federation President Luis Rubiales after he kissed team captain Jenni Hermoso on the lips.
Jenni Hermoso via Cache YouTube, screenshot
As the team was accepting their trophy and shaking hands with all the necessary people on the podium, footage shows Rubiales giving a hug, sometimes lifting, and kissing some of the female players as they celebrate and cheer with excitement.
However, people are zoning in on this interaction with Hermoso and Rubiales specifically. Watch:
¿Lo de Rubiales? pic.twitter.com/H7ZaAQ0RxU
— Darío (@Youpsico) August 20, 2023
RELATED: Engaged Conor McGregor Called Out For Inappropriate Online Flirting Attempts With Rapper Saweetie
He treats her differently than the other women on the team. Instead of a peck on the cheek, he pulls her head in and goes for a kiss on the lips. From there, people started losing their minds.
It was an “attack on [Hermoso] and on all the women” El País editor Nadia Tronchoni wrote. “What a pity that such a beautiful day ends up tarnished by this seedy machirulismo. What little sensitivity.”
Others throughout social media attacked Rubiales in ways I only wish they did here in the United States when Joe Biden gropes someone’s wife or sniffs a child.
Source: SHEscoresbangers on X
“The concerning fact here is the nonchalant manner Rubiales behaves towards Hermoso,” posted popular women’s soccer page @SHEscoresbanger on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The FA president does this on the biggest stage of the sport with royalty and officials near him, surrounded by cameras. Very disturbing, and frankly, concerning.”
The extent of their personal relationship, boundaries, and familiarity with each other isn’t exactly public knowledge, but in the post MeToo era, if he felt this was going to be an issue, odds are he wouldn’t have done it if she’d have been offended or for the whole world to see if she was going to have an issue with it.
And ultimately, she didn’t actually like it. But she wasn’t treating it like it was some assault on her person’s either.
El momento en el que le enseñan a Jenni el vídeo
“Pero y qué hago yo?” 🫠 pic.twitter.com/mJfRywaAUM— ALBA (@profitebol2) August 20, 2023
“Yeah, I did not enjoy that,” she said according to The Telegraph.
“It was a mutual, totally spontaneous gesture because of the huge joy of winning a World Cup,” she said. “The ‘press’ and I have a great relationship. His behavior with us has been a ’10.’ It was a natural gesture, of great affection and gratitude… We’ve won a World Cup, and we won’t get away from what’s important.”
So there you have it, all these feminists white knighting over this can fuss all they want, Hermoso knows what’s up. As far as Rubiales’ response? His response was gold.
“There are idiots everywhere,” he stated later. “When two people have a great gesture of affection, that isn’t important, we can’t pay attention to idiocy. We’re [world] champions and I’ll focus on that.”