MADRID, (Reuters) – Spain’s High Court prosecutor yesterday opened a preliminary investigation into whether national soccer chief Luis Rubiales might have committed an act of sexual aggression when he grabbed player Jenni Hermoso and kissed her on the lips after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said the court had received several complaints but would only launch a full inquiry if Hermoso sought one. She has said she did not want to be kissed.
The move increased the pressure on Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), who was suspended by FIFA on Saturday amid a furore over the incident at the ceremony following Spain’s World Cup win in Sydney on Aug. 20.
RFEF regional chiefs were locked in a marathon meeting yesterday to evaluate the situation, which has spiralled into a national row over women’s rights, macho behaviour and sexual abuse.
The Sports Administrative Court was holding an extraordinary meeting yesterday and due to decide whether to take up a case against Rubiales.
Rubiales, 46, has refused to step down, saying the kiss – which took place in a globally-watched live broadcast – was consensual. Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government say it was unwanted and demeaning.
Acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said yesterday that Rubiales’ defiance and the support from some federation members showed that macho behaviour was systemic in Spanish society.
“What footballer Jenni Hermoso experienced should never have happened,” Diaz said in a video statement prior to a meeting with the women players’ union.
In the evening, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Madrid at protests called by feminist groups in support of Hermoso and against Rubiales.
People called for his resignation, chanting: “It’s not a kiss, it is aggression.”
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said yesterday that sexism was still a critical issue in sport and urged the Spanish authorities and government to deal “with this in a manner that respects the rights of all female athletes”.
“How difficult is it not to kiss somebody on the lips? I don’t see any indication that anything was consensual,” Dujarric added.
In a further twist, Rubiales’ mother locked herself inside a church and started a hunger strike to protest against her son’s treatment.
All 23 players on Spain’s cup-winning squad including Hermoso, as well as dozens of other squad members, said on Friday they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation. Their next match is away to Sweden in the Nations League on Sept. 22.