Lionesses ‘stand with’ Spain’s World Cup stars over kiss-gate: England players brand Spanish FA chief’s actions ‘unacceptable’ amid growing calls for boss to be SACKED

The Lionesses last night rallied around Spain’s women’s football team, declaring that they ‘stand with’ them after they refused to play for their country until the president of their federation is removed from his job.

Football Federation President Luis Rubiales, 46, caused outrage and allegations of sexism when he appeared to forcibly kiss Spanish player Jenni Hermoso at the medal ceremony of the World Cup final.

After he refused to quit his job and blamed ‘false feminism’ for what he called a ‘social murder’, the Spanish government started legal action to suspend him – and the head of Spain’s women’s football committee has quit his post in protest.

A statement from England’s Lionesses, who lost to Spain in the final, said the incident was ‘unacceptable’. It comes as Hermoso published a statement in which she condemned Rubiales’ defence of his actions and said she was the vicitm of ‘an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act.’

The Lionesses said: ‘Unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organisation.

Spanish Football Federation president Rubiales refused to resign after his controversial on-the-mouth kiss of player Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s World Cup triumph

Several members of the Spanish women’s football team have said that they will not play any more matches for their country until president Luis Rubiales has been removed from his role

The president of Spain’s Women’s Football Committee Rafael del Amo (pictured) has resigned

Alexis Putellas (left of left image) is one of the footballers to express dismay with Spanish FA president Rubiales, calling his behaviour towards team-mate Hermoso ‘unacceptable’ – the two players are pictured wearing each others’ shirts

‘Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth. The behaviour of those who think they are invincible must not be tolerated and people shouldn’t take any convincing to take action against any form of harassment.

‘We stand with you, Jenni Hermoso.’

Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze and captain Millie Bright were among the players to share the statement on their social media accounts.

Members of the national men’s and women’s teams in Spain said on Friday they would not play any matches for the country until Rubiales has been removed from his job after he kissed Hermoso on the lips after Spain’s World Cup victory.

His behaviour was also criticised in the box after he appeared to grab his crotch while watching from the royal box, next to the Spanish Queen Letizia and her daughter. 

Rubiales had been expected to resign on Friday but instead began a long-winded rant in which he claimed he was the subject of a ‘witch-hunt’, shouting he would not resign four times. 

After the rant, Hermoso took to social media to claim she has been ‘under continuous pressure’ to speak out in defence of Rubiales.

She accused the RFEF of creating a ‘manipulative, hostile and controlling culture’ and reiterated that she will not play for the national team again ‘while the current leaders remain’.

Hermoso said: ‘I want to clarify, that at no time did I consent to the kiss. I don’t tolerate that my word is questioned, much less that words are invented that I haven’t said.’ 

After his failure to step down, the Spanish government has started legal proceedings in a bid to have the 46-year-old suspended. Victor Francos, head of the government’s National Sports Council, said the government sees this as the ‘MeToo of Spanish football,’ the Times reports. 

Francos said: ‘What Mr Rubiales has done is aggravate the situation. The government will not be impassive.’

He continued: ‘The government begins today the procedures so that Mr Rubiales has to give explanations before the Administrative Court of Sport [TAD] and, if the TAD is willing, we will suspend Mr Rubiales in his functions.’

It is expected a court hearing will take place on Monday. 

The football boss claimed the kiss was ‘consensual’: ‘It was a spontaneous kiss. Mutual, euphoric and consensual. That’s the key. A consensual ‘peck’ is enough to get me out of here?’

But Hermoso’s teammates and other Spanish football stars did not agree. 

Viral images showed the president with his hand on the back of Hermoso’s head as he kissed her on the lips.

Asked about the moment on Spanish TV afterwards, Hermoso said: ‘I did not like it.’ 

A total of 81 players signed a joint statement sent via their FUTPRO union demanding the removal of the federation leadership and refusing to play for the national team until Rubiales has gone. 

Rubiales has been under pressure to resign for the incident while also seeming to grab his crotch near the Spanish queen and her 16-year-old daughter. Today he refused to quit in a rant where he blamed ‘false feminism’ for the perceived ‘witch-hunt’ against him. 

It comes as the president of Spain’s Women’s Football Committee Rafael del Amo resigned after Luis Rubiales announced that he would not be stepping down as the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). 

Del Amo, who oversees the body that supervises women’s football in Spain, claimed on Friday that he could not be involved in a project that he ‘did not believe in.’ 

‘I have submitted my resignation after seeing that Luis Rubiales continues to lead the Federation,’ Del Amo said, according to Diario de Sevilla.

‘I have been the only president who has told him looking at his face. I believed in a female project that did not exist and he opted for it, with 27 million euros, I am super grateful. 

‘But I think, above all because of what happened in the box, that it is unacceptable.’

Rubiales defiantly blamed ‘false feminism’ for a ‘social murder’ against him in a stunning speech earlier on Friday.

‘I told him [Rubiales]: ‘Have to be honest with you, I think you can’t be here as president’,’ he added. 

‘I have to thank him, I respect what he does, but I can’t be in a project that I don’t believe in, that’s clear. We all thought on Thursday that he was going to resign today.’

Alexis Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, and World Cup-winning team-mates Cata Coll, Aitana Bonmati and Irene Paredes have all spoken out publicly in defence of Hermoso. 

It comes after Spanish Football President Luis Rubiales kissed Jennifer Hermoso on the lips after the Women’s World Cup final with Del Amo saying he ‘could not be involved in a project he did not believe in’

Putellas tweeted: ‘This is unacceptable. It’s over. With you partner @jennihermoso’, while Bonmati wrote: ‘There are limits that cannot be crossed and we cannot tolerate this. We are with you partner.’

Cata Coll, who was between the sticks for Spain in the final, wrote: ‘What a pity it gives me that 23 soccer players are not the protagonists… it’s over! With you to death Jenni Hermoso’. 

Their fellow Spanish player, Patricia Guijarro, who was one of 15 players to voice opposition to head coach Jorge Vilda last year and was not picked for the World Cup, tweeted: ‘It’s over. With you @jennihermoso. Unfortunate to reach this point to believe that the complaints from months ago were real.’

Barcelona and Norway player Caroline Hansen said: ‘@jennihermoso with you! This is all lies. We all see what really happened’.

Swiss star and Barcelona player Ana-Maria Crnogorčević took a more vehement approach: ‘I’m freaking out.. it’s over. F*** this bulls**t, f**k all this f**king lies. This is insane… With you Jenni always.’

Men’s national team striker Borja Iglesias has also quit playing for his country in protest while Rubiales remains in post. 

The 30-year-old Real Betis full-back, who has been capped twice by Spain, said: ‘Wearing the Spanish National Team shirt is one of the greatest things that has happened to me in my career. 

‘I don’t know if at some point I will be an option again, but I have made the decision not to return to the National Team until things change and this type of act does not go unpunished.’

Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales defiantly refused to resign in his speech

He then blew kisses to the audience after insisting he would not step down from his position

Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales arrives at their headquarters for Friday’s emergency meeting – he refused to resign in an impassioned speech

Having branded his detractors as ‘idiots’ earlier this week, Rubiales was again defiant amid mounting pressure to step down from his position. 

‘I am not going to resign,’ he shouted four times in a charged speech following an emergency meeting of federation officials, vowing ‘I will fight until the end.’

Norway’s Caroline Hansen, who plays for Barcelona, said: ‘@Jennihermoso with you! This is all lies. We all see what really happened.’

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea said ‘my ears are bleeding’, while ex-Real Madrid and Spain ‘keeper Iker Casillas called the fiasco ’embarrassing’.

In another sensational move, Rubiales said he would extend the contract of highly unpopular Spain women’s team coach Jorge Vilda by another four years, announcing he would pay him €500,000 (£428,000) a year.

Rubiales said: ‘This is the body that elected me and the body to which I must give explanations.

‘I want to apologise for an event that occurred in the box [the crotch-grabbing]. I am going to explain it by looking at Jorge Vilda.

‘We have been through a lot, they have wanted to do to you the same thing that they are doing to me know, they are trying to create a false speech and turn it against you.

‘I was very moved when after winning the World Cup you turned around and dedicated it to me. There I made the gesture.

‘I apologise to Her Majesty the Queen, I have never behaved like this in a box.’

On the Hermoso kiss, he said: ‘It was more of a peck than a kiss. There was no desire, the desire was the same I would have giving my daughter a kiss, there was no dominance. It was spontaneous, mutual and consented.

‘I have a great relationship with all the players and we had very affectionate moments.

Unpopular team coach Jorge Vilda will have his contract extended, according to Rubiales 

Rubiales sparked more outrage after footage emerged of him grabbing his crotch while celebrating Spain’s win in the vicinity of Spanish Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter

‘Jenni picked me up off the ground and we almost fell. She was the one who lifted me up.’

He claimed again that the kiss was consensual, before accusing players of a ‘social murder’. 

He continued: ‘Politicians have refereed to this action as sexual violence, without consent, assault… These people are trying to assassinate me publicly and I am going to defend myself like all Spaniards, in court. I will take action against these people.

‘The sensationalism of false feminism, they have pushed a lot, the press is going to continue killing me. The truth is the truth.

‘They will be able to continue with this campaign, deep in my heart I don’t care, it is a matter of humility.’

Rubiales then said: ‘The time has come to say something. I was wrong and it was not the time to make that gesture. Is it serious for me to leave? I am not going to resign.’

He repeated this statement three more times, adding: ‘I’m going to fight until the end.’

Rubiales described the reaction to his behaviour as a ‘social murder’ and blamed ‘false feminism’

It was announced on Thursday that FIFA had opened disciplinary proceedings against the football chief, who had been clinging on to his position.

Reports emerged in the Spanish press on Thursday that Rubiales was considering his position after Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez demanded an explanation.

Rubiales has now refused to leave as the furore over the 46-year-old’s behaviour rumbles on.

Rubiales earns £214,000-a-year in his role as a vice-president for European football’s governing body UEFA, a position he is able to keep even if he is eventually forced out at the helm of the Spanish FA. UEFA have so far refused to comment on the Spaniard’s actions, despite his high rank in the organisation.

Vilda was closely linked to Rubiales but he was accused of creating a controlling environment with Mundo Deportivo reporting he forced players to keep the doors of their rooms open so he could check they’d gone to sleep.

Vilda also allegedly checked the players’ bags when they returned from shopping trips and demanded they inform him who they were meeting outside of the team camp.

In 2022, 15 players wrote to the Spanish FA making themselves unavailable for selection while Vilda was in charge.

Footage emerged of Vilda appearing to touch a female staff member on the breast after Spain scored their winning goal in the final.

However, Rubiales said in his speech: ‘I think it has been the happiest day of my five years in office, that we are world champions.

‘I have activated the mechanisms for you to stay with us for the next four years, earning half a million euros, you deserve it.

‘You deserve it, we’ve been through a lot. You are one of the best coaches in the world and in women’s football you are without doubt the best.’ 

Rubiales also carried Spanish player Athenea del Castillo Beivide  during the celebrations

Rubiales (right) pictured with Spain’s Queen Letizia and FIFA president Gianni Infantino after their 1-0 win over England in last Sunday’s final

Rubiales has been condemned by a variety of organisations within Spanish football, including FUTPRO – the union that represents Hermoso – and the women’s football league, Liga F, who lodged a complaint with the president of the country’s sports council [CSD].

Hermoso had rejected the invitation to appear in Rubiales’ apology video, despite his pleas that ‘my position is at stake, do it for my daughters.’

Several clubs, including Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Osasuna and Getafe, had called on him to stand down.

FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday under Article 13 of their code of conduct, which refers to ‘offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play.’

Earlier in the week, he tried to defuse the situation by releasing an apology video, saying: ‘I have made a mistake and I have to admit it. It wasn’t done in bad faith; it was a moment of great emotion.’

Then damning footage emerged of Rubiales grabbing his crotch in the wild scenes of celebration that greeted Spain’s victory at Stadium Australia.

The Spanish Queen and her daughter were just a few metres away in the stands.

United States legend Megan Rapinoe described the moment as ‘a signal of a deep level of misogyny and sexism,’ and insisted his kiss of Hermoso was ‘physical assault.’ 

Rubiales embraces Spanish player Aitana Bonmati during the presentation ceremony

Rubiales hugs Alba Redondo amid Spain’s celebrations after winning the Women’s World Cup

Attacking midfielder Hermoso, who plays for CF Pachuca, admitted she ‘didn’t like’ it when Rubiales grabbed her and held her in a tight embrace before kissing her on the lips on the celebratory podium after the match, for which he later reluctantly apologised despite initially defending his behaviour.

Spanish football chief Miguel Ángel Galán has now filed a complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office in Madrid and the State Attorney General’s Office alleging Rubiales’ actions constituted sexual assault. 

Galan, president of CENAFE – the country’s national school for football coaches – said: ‘I would like to file a complaint against Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish Soccer Federation, for committing an alleged crime of sexual assault against the Spanish women’s soccer team’s Jennifer Hermoso.

‘This was an intolerable act of sexist behaviour within our sport, which could constitute an alleged crime of sexual assault. I therefore request that a complaint be filed’.

Galan had already submitted a written complaint to Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) and the Spanish FA (RFEF) itself, with his latest actions pursuing the criminal route.