LAS ROZAS Sept 02 (Online): Spain\u2019s Olympic chief said on Friday the actions of football federation boss Luis Rubiales, who has unleashed a furore by kissing a women\u2019s World Cup winning player, were \u201cinappropriate, unacceptable\u201d but did not represent Spanish sport as a whole.<\/p>\n
Men\u2019s national team coach Luis de la Fuente meanwhile apologised for clapping Rubiales as he refused to quit last week, and players\u2019 unions annou-nced a two-match strike in the women\u2019s domestic league in protest over their conditions and pay.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into a possible sexual assault after Rubiales grabbed player Jenni Hermoso\u2019s head and kissed her on the mouth following Spain\u2019s victory in Sydney on Aug 20.<\/p>\n
Spanish Olympic Committee President Alej\u00acandro Blanco said the gestures by Rubiales \u2014 whom he described as a personal friend \u2014 could not be tolerated. It was \u201cunacceptable that an isolated incident should take the limelight away from our sportsmen and women\u201d, Blanco told a news conference.<\/p>\n
The fallout from the kiss has become a \u201cMe Too\u201d moment in Spain, unleashing anger that had been building for years, and triggering a torrent of allegations from other women in football of predatory behaviour by men.<\/p>\n
Aside from the kiss, Rubiales also drew criticism for grabbing his genitals while celebrating the team\u2019s win from the VIP box next to Spain\u2019s Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter.<\/p>\n
Rubiales, who has called the kiss consensual, has refused to resign as head of the federation. He has been suspended for three months by FIFA pending a disciplinary probe by soccer\u2019s world governing body.<\/p>\n
Hermoso has said she did not consent to the kiss and felt \u201cvulnerable and the victim of an aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n
Blanco said he had advised Rubiales in a phone call after the World Cup final to apologise, highlight the success for Spanish women\u2019s football and offer his resignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that [resigning] would have been a coherent gesture, one that the whole of society would understand and the best gesture that could be made to show repentance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A week ago, dozens of Spain\u2019s top women players said they would not return to play for the national team under the existing leadership.<\/p>\n
In a sign of growing pressure for equal rights, the Spanish Footballers\u2019 Association union said the planned strike in the women\u2019s domestic league resulted from an impasse in negotiations with the league to \u201cachieve fair and dignified treatment for female players and address and reduce the existing wage gap\u201d.<\/p>\n
The strike is planned for the first two fixtures of the season, on Sept 8 and 15.<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz welcomed their action. \u201cYou are setting the standard in the defence of decent work and real equality,\u201d she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n
Separately, men\u2019s national team coach De la Fuente addressed the widespread criticism of his applause for Rubiales at emergency assembly of the federation a week ago, when Rubiales said he would not resign and blamed \u201cfalse feminism\u201d for the furore.<\/p>\n
De la Fuente apologised for his \u201cinexcusable\u201d behaviour, telling reporters on Friday that he felt overwhelmed when Rubiales, who had been widely expected to step down during the event, did not quit after all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t recognise myself when I see the images of the ceremony… I went blank, I was overwhelmed by the situation,\u201d he said, adding that he would stay on as coach as he had the backing of the federation\u2019s officials.<\/p>\n
Many have called on De la Fuente and the women\u2019s team coach, Jorge Vilda, to step down or be fired after both gave Rubiales a standing ovation during the assembly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAS ROZAS Sept 02 (Online): Spain\u2019s Olympic chief said on Friday the actions of football federation boss Luis Rubiales, who has unleashed a furore by kissing a women\u2019s World Cup winning player, were \u201cinappropriate, unacceptable\u201d but did not represent Spanish sport as a whole. Men\u2019s […]<\/p>\n
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