 |
| Spain's defender Rocio Galvez, left, is congratulated by President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales after winning the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup final football match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney on August 20. AFP-Yonhap |
The Spanish female footballers' union FUTPRO has called for "exemplary measures" after Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales kissed Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the women's World Cup victory ceremony in Sydney.
Spain won the trophy for the first time with a 1-0 win over England.
"We at FUTPRO express our firm and resounding disapproval of behaviors that violate the dignity of women," the union said in a statement, which also quotes Hermoso as saying: "My FUTPRO union, in coordination with my TMJ agency, are taking charge of defending my interests and being the interlocutors on this matter."
The incident caused a storm, Rubiales later apologized but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that was not good enough.
"What we saw was an unacceptable gesture but Mr. Rubiales' apologies are also not enough and are not even adequate, and therefore he has to continue taking steps to clarify what we all saw in the media," Sanchez said on Tuesday.
The RFEF has called an extraordinary assembly for Friday and started an internal investigation into the events. There have been many calls for Rubiales to step down as a result, but Spanish news reports said that will likely not happen as delegates were expected to rally behind him.
Hermoso said on social media post she "didn't like" the kiss before defending Rubiales in a statement issued later by saying they had a good relationship and that the incident was a "totally spontaneous mutual gesture" in celebration of the title. (DPA)
![[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/0eae35da5e9c40c38cf439e550a2eb3e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/df16760dc50f469d93434f66a069465c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
