Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubailes kisses footballer Jenni Hermoso after women's World Cup win, resigns amid sexual assault allegations

On Sunday, September 10, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, resigned from his position after a shocking sequence of events. Three weeks back, on August 20, when the Spanish women’s football team celebrated their World Cup victory against England, in Sydney, Rubiales was seen kissing one of the Spanish players, Jenni Hermoso. In the middle of the awards ceremony, he held her head in between his palms, and publicly kissed on her mouth, reportedly without consent.A whirlwind of events unfolded in rapid succession. Spain’s World Cup victory was tarnished in what was being deemed a live example of sexual assault. Footballers, football fans and Spanish government officials outraged over the incident, and the larger issue of sexism in sport. Within two weeks, Hermoso lodged a criminal complaint over the incident. Two days before Rubiales announced his resignation, a Spanish prosecutor filed a complaint against him with the High Court, for sexual assault and coercion. Despite his claims that the kiss was consensual, Hermoso always maintained that it was not. In fact, she also said how immediately after the incident, she and her family were pressured by the federation to show her support for Rubiales.Meanwhile, a government legal panel overseeing sports also launched a probe to determine if Rubiales abused his position of authority by kissing Hermoso, and if he tainted the image of Spain with his actions. Rubiales, however, fiercely defended himself against the allegations. Not only did he insist that the kiss was consensual, but on August 26, he also delivered an impassioned speech to the general assembly of his federation, painting himself as the victim of a “witch hunt" by "false feminists". For the longest time, he refused to step down from his posts. The day after his speech, FIFA promptly suspended Rubiales from all football-related activities for three months, pending its investigation. Finally, on Sunday, he agreed to resign, both as the vice-president of European soccer body UEFA and as the chief of the Spanish Football Federation.In his statement, Rubiales said, "After the rapid suspension carried out by FIFA, plus the rest of the proceedings opened against me, it is clear that I will not be able to return to my position. He added that insisting on waiting and clinging is not going to contribute anything positive, neither to the Federation nor to Spanish football. “Among other things, there are de facto powers that will prevent my return," he said.Many in the Spanish government celebrated his resignation. Spain's acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz for example, posted this on X, formerly Twitter, after Rubiales announced his resignation. "The feminist country is advancing faster and faster. The transformation and improvement of our lives is inevitable. We are with you, Jenni, and with all women." According to Reuters, Spain's Equality Minister Irene Montero commented on his resignation, saying “it’s over”. Even though he stepped down from his posts, Rubiales continued to defend himself. A message posted with his statement on Sunday said, "I will defend my honour. I will defend my innocence. I have faith in the future. I have faith in the truth."Photo credit: ReutersAudio production: Sahil Gupta