Nancy Armour, USA TODAY
Updated Fri, August 25, 2023
It wasn’t so long ago – only a week, in fact! – that FIFA president Gianni Infantino put the onus on women to bring about equality, saying we have the power to convince men to do the right thing. All we have to do, Infantino said, is ask.
Inane as that speech was in the moment, it looks downright foolish now after Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales’ defiant defense of his lewd, predatory behavior and the sycophantic fawning by Spain coach Jorge Vilda and others that followed.
Achieve equality and respect simply by saying pretty please? We can’t even get an arrogant misogynist to step down despite the entire world seeing him celebrate Spain’s first World Cup title by grabbing his crotch and molesting a player.
Players speak out: Spain's national team refuses to play until 'leaders resign,' Jenni Hermoso refutes Rubiales' claims
And while the many condemnations of Rubiales’ gaslighting were heartening, especially by male players and officials, it was a bit rich. Where were these folks 11 months ago, when 15 of Spain’s top players asked to be treated with dignity and respect and the federation run by Rubiales responded by chiding the women and saying they’d only be allowed back on the team if they “accept their mistake and ask for forgiveness”? Where has the outrage been all these years over abusive coaches and federations treating their women’s players as, at best, second-class citizens?
Appalling as Rubiales’ actions the last five days have been, they didn’t occur in a vacuum. Nor, unfortunately, is he an outlier. Not in society and certainly not in soccer.
Ask any woman, in any walk of life, and she can give you myriad examples of men who’ve been dismissive, abusive or both. Men who believe they’ve actually earned their advantages rather than being the beneficiaries of a social construct that gives men primacy, and think it entitles them to claim women’s bodies, souls and accomplishments for themselves.
Rubiales just had the bad luck to get caught.
But, and this is the heart of the problem, Rubiales won’t lose his job because he groped and kissed Jenni Hermoso, Spain’s all-time leading scorer, without her consent. Nor will he be ousted because he grabbed himself while standing next to Spain’s queen and her teenage daughter.
When – and it is when, not if – Rubiales goes, it will be because he made other men in the game uncomfortable and posed a threat to Spain’s bid for the men’s World Cup in 2030. Sexism is so baked into the system the mistreatment of women rarely gets addressed unless it directly affects the men around us.
We protest the harm done to us and voice our complaints about the unequal treatment we receive, to no avail. Those doors Infantino said we need to push open? We’ve shoved them, hard, and they’ve remained locked tight.
In some ways, Rubiales did women a favor with his boorish public behavior and unhinged justification of it.
Just as abuse victims are often ignored unless there’s a photo or video of their trauma, Rubiales’ crudeness and obstinacy has swung public opinion in favor of the Spanish players and, by extension, other women in the game.
Change is coming to Spain’s federation. There might even be recognition by Infantino and others at FIFA that it’s going to take more than patronizing speeches and nominal funding increases to cleanse this toxic climate.
Offensive and infuriating as Rubiales is, he's a reflection of a larger problem. He'll be gone soon, but the attitudes and indifference that have put so many women in harm's way will remain.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luis Rubiales, Spain's soccer president, is symptom of FIFA misogyny
Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales refused to resign on Friday after a week of widespread criticism for his unsolicited kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph.
Issued on: 25/08/2023 - 13:08
"I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign," shouted Rubiales at an emergency meeting of the football federation.
"A consensual 'peck' is enough to get me out of here? I will fight until the end," he added.
Rubiales, 46, was expected to step down as president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) after government ministers and figures within sport demanded his resignation and world football's governing body FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him.
He said the pressure he has received this week from politicians and clubs was an attempt "to publicly assassinate me" and said he would defend himself by "taking action" against those people.
The RFEF chief claimed his kiss on Hermoso's lips was consensual and done in the same spirit as kissing his child.
"It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric, and consensual," said Rubiales.
The stubborn RFEF chief railed against "false feminism" and said he had been "hunted" since taking the job in May 2018.
"When I make a mistake it hurts me and I ask for forgiveness without softening it, but I do not deserve this hunt that I have been suffering for five years, every day for five years.
"I'm going to keep fighting like my parents taught me, like my coaches, my teammates."
Rubiales referred to his critics and insisted his kiss could not be compared to sexual assault.
"For god's sake, what will women think who have really been sexually assaulted?" said Rubiales.
His refusal to resign and fiery speech prompted a rapid reaction from politicians.
"What we have seen today at the federation assembly is unacceptable," wrote second deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz on social network X, formerly known as Twitter.
"The government must act and take urgent measures: impunity for macho actions is over. Rubiales cannot continue in office."
Spain's High Council of Sport (CSD) said earlier in the week they would take measures against Rubiales if the football federation failed to do so.
The president did apologise for grabbing his crotch during the celebrations of the 1-0 win against England in the final while standing next to Spanish Queen Letizia.
"I want to say sorry for the deeds that happened in a moment of euphoria, I grabbed that part of my body and did so looking at Jorge Vilda (the coach)," Rubiales said.
"I was so emotional, I lost control and I took my hands there."
Rubiales also said he had started the process of offering controversial Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda a new deal on a 500,000 euro ($540,000) salary.
Spain arrived at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand shrouded in controversy, after 15 players refused to play because of disagreements with the federation and Vilda, although some relented and three formed part of the winning squad.
(AFP)
Resigning?: Spanish football president Luis Rubiales is set to step down from his position after unprecedented criticism for his unsolicited kiss and behaviour at the Women's World Cup final After Spain's 1-0 win over England in the final in Sydney on Sunday Rubiales gave midfielder Jennifer Hermoso an unsolicited kiss on the lips. He also celebrated victory by grabbing his genitals.
The RFEF did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
"Feminism is changing everything," wrote Spain's Minister for Equality Irene Montero on social media, shortly after the reports emerged.
Rubiales came under unprecedented pressure to resign, with days of criticism from figures including Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez, Spain's women's league and several men's La Liga clubs, as well as internationally.
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales earlier Thursday. FIFA said the incident "may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code".
Spain star Hermoso released a joint statement with union Futpro on Wednesday, which called for action to be taken against the RFEF president.
"We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that the exemplary measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable," the statement said.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International offered their backing to Hermoso on Thursday.
"Amnesty International wants to show their support for the demands of the player, who has asked the (RFEF) to set underway 'exemplary measures' regarding the non-consensual kiss," said the organisation in a statement.
"(We) underline that this behaviour is a form of sexual violence like any other, and cannot be justified in any way."
Rubiales laughed off the incident earlier in the week, branding his critics "idiots" for reading too much into what an RFEF spokesman initially described to AFP as a "spontaneous celebration".
However he later issued an apology which was also criticised, with prime minister Sanchez saying it was "insufficient".
Mounting criticism
Earlier Thursday Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admonished Rubiales for his conduct as the criticism continued to mount.
"It's a very delicate topic, like most people it was behaviour that I obviously did not like," Ancelotti told a news conference.
"It was not the behaviour of a president of the federation."
Further Spanish clubs joined the wave of dissent against Rubiales on Thursday, following Getafe president Angel Torres the day before.
"We must all be consistent with what we do and say, that's a fundamental thing," Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo told TV show Jugones on Spanish channel Mega.
"He will have to do what he considers appropriate, but I think that what he has to do is present his resignation."
Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay also positioned himself against Rubiales.
"This should have been over days ago, it's a shame that we are here and this has not been concluded," he told Radio Euskadi.
Rubiales became president of the RFEF in May 2018 and has since been mired in a number of controversies.
He sacked Spain coach Julen Lopetegui two days before the country began their 2018 World Cup campaign, and moved the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Rubiales backed controversial coach Jorge Vilda amid a wider dispute with 15 female players who refused to play for Spain, although several relented and three were called up to the World Cup winning squad.
Barcelona fans at their women's team's friendly against Juventus on Thursday evening had chanted for Rubiales to resign.
The Barcelona team featured three players -- Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Claudia Pina -- who had not renounced their stance and missed out on the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
© 2023 AFP
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