The president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, put his hands on the head of the Spanish national team striker Jenni Hermoso and kissed her on the lips during the awarding of the gold medals for the World Cup.
The Spanish women’s soccer team beat England 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday.
Before lifting the winning trophy, the players received their gold medals one by one. At the podium, Rubiales was among those who congratulated the players on the occasion.
When Hermoson received the medal, he embraced her and pulled her head towards him with his hands and kissed her on the lips, after which he laughed.
The television footage quickly spread on social networks. Hermoso, who plays for Mexican club Pachuca, later laughed and said in the locker room in an Instagram direct link: “Eh, I didn’t like it.”
“Did you kiss Jordi Alba like that when the men won the Nations League?
Someone in the dressing room showed her a video of that moment, to which she replied: “What am I doing, look at me, look at me.”
Some users on the X social network have accused Rubiales, who has been president of the federation since 2018, of inappropriate behavior.
“This is how you kissed (captain) Jordi Alba when the men’s national team won the Nations League (in the final against Croatia),” wrote one user.
Rubiales did not comment on this. Hermoso, who played for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona during her career, missed a penalty in the 70th minute of the match against England when Spain were leading 1-0.