By When Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales was caught on camera delivering a non-consensual kiss to World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso by the sneaky international television cameras covering the event it triggered a weeks-long firestorm with figures throughout the sporting world and beyond condemning the action. Following several rounds of doubling down and attacks on Hermoso, the RFEF has today sought to respond to the pressure by announcing a punishment for Rubiales in a press release this afternoon:
“Here’s his punishment: he’s got to walk around for however long he lives and this is how he’s labeled now,” the release reads. “His other punishment is that, we’re sure a lot of people, whether it be media, players, friends, acquaintances, who had respect for him, might not have respect for him now. There’s a lot of things that he’s going to have to deal with for the rest of his life that are way more of a punishment than a 30-day or 60-day absence. That’s not a punishment to us. The punishment is that he did it, and now he has to deal with it.”
The release also addressed the long list of female players who have threatened to withdraw from the squad unless further action is taken, including the entire 2023 FIFA World Cup-winning side, by banning the players from all international and domestic competition for life.
