MADRID. – Spain’s High Court prosecutor on Monday 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 launch a full inquiry only if Hermoso sought one. Hermoso 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 (Sunday in Manila) amid a furor over the incident at the ceremony following Spain’s World Cup win in Sydney on Aug. 20.
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.
Following a marathon meeting, the RFEF regional chiefs unanimously requested in a statement on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) the immediate resignation of Rubiales following the recent events and the “unacceptable behaviors” that have seriously damaged the image of Spanish football.
The situation has spiraled into a national row over women’s rights, macho behavior, and sexual abuse.
The Sports Administrative Court was due to decide whether to take up the case against Rubiales after an extraordinary meeting on Monday.
Acting Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz said that Rubiales’ defiance and the support from some federation members showed that macho behavior 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’s 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.”
