Spain continues to be outraged by the forced kiss from Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), on the world champion Jenni Hermoso, during the medal ceremony after the Women's World Cup final. Completely out of step with what has been achieved in recent years in terms of combatting violence against women, the Rubiales scandal has caused shockwaves throughout society.

"It's over," "It's not a kiss, it's an assault," "Jenni, we're with you": Thousands of women chanted these slogans in the Plaza de Callao in central Madrid on Monday, August 28. There was a tide of purple, a color that has become the hallmark of feminist struggle, to once again demand the leader's resignation.

The interim Socialist government had to intervene. Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz denounced "the structural male chauvinism of sports organizations." Her colleague responsible for sport, Miquel Iceta, hammered the point home: "It's over, there will be no more discrimination against women" after this "strong social mobilization."

More than the non-consensual kiss, "what really scandalized Spaniards was Rubiales's attitude," said Irune Aguirrezabal, a specialist in gender issues and author of a study on gender parity and democracy in Latin America. "He claimed to be a victim of 'false feminism,' when in fact he is the symbol of a chauvinism that doesn't even realize that it no longer has a place in society."

"If Spain hadn't won the World Cup, Rubiales's act might have gone unnoticed. It's because the scandal went beyond the world of football that the players were finally able to express themselves freely," said Antonio Aguiar, director of the digital sports media outlet Iusport.

This was not the case a year ago, according to the journalist. In September 2022, 15 players complained about the methods used by La Roja coach Jorge Vilda, which involved spying on the personal lives of players, and tracking their whereabouts and purchases. "Nothing really happened, and nobody reacted. But the wound didn't heal, and the players worked up to the World Cup in very difficult conditions," said Aguiar. The #MeToo moment of Spanish football has now plunged La Roja and the Federation into chaos, with Jenni Hermoso and 81 other players refusing to continue competing under the current management.

Spanish prosecutors have opened an investigation into an alleged "sexual assault." On Monday, the Spanish football federation called for the "immediate resignation" of its president, who has already been suspended by the international federation for 90 days, saying that recent events and "unacceptable behavior" had "seriously damaged the image of Spanish football." Rubiales maintains that the kiss was consensual, an assertion categorically denied by the player, who said she felt "vulnerable and the victim of an aggression (...) without any consent on her part."

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