Kiss-Gate: Rapinoe Insists w/cup winner Hermoso was ‘Assaulted’
Former American winger, Megan Rapinoe has insisted that 2023 Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso was “physically assaulted” by Spain’s FA president, Luis Rubiales as she called out the country’s football federation.
Megan Rapinoe, 38, retired from international football after being one of the three United States players who missed a penalty in the country’s defeat at the hands of Sweden at the 2023 Women’s World Cup round of 16 on August 6.
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Just like most football enthusiasts, Rapinoe is not happy with the incident that happened in the Women’s World Cup final between Spain and England.
After Spain defeated England 1-0 to win their first Women’s World Cup, Spain’s FA president, Luis Rubiales was caught on camera kissing the lips of the team’s legend Jenni Hermoso.
In her reaction to the incident, Megan Rapinoe who fought for equality in the United States throughout her football career said the kissing incident “made me think about how much we are required to endure”.
Before then, Rubiales was also caught on camera touching his crotch next to Queen Letizia of Spain and her daughter, 16, in the VIP section of Stadium Australia after the match’s final whistle.
Even before the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Spain’s team has been bedeviled by issues of sexism and inequality. The country’s Women’s coach Jorge Vilda escaped players’ agitations after 15 players sent him identical emails in September 2022 threatening to boycott the World Cup unless “significant” concerns about their “emotional state” and “health” were addressed.
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Despite this, the Spanish FA continued to back Vilda, writing ‘VILDA IN’ on Spain’s official X (Twitter) account after they won the World Cup. Coach Vilda also did not go to the World Cup with most of the 15 women who agitated against him.
In an interview with the Atlantic, Megan Rapinoe said: “Think how much that Spanish team had to shoulder: some of the players who stood up way back last year still aren’t on the team. Maybe that was something that galvanized them, but you shouldn’t have to have that.
“There was another picture that signals such a deep level of misogyny and sexism in that federation and in that man (Rubiales) at the final whistle, just grabbing his crotch.
“What kind of upside-down world are we in? On the biggest stage, where you should be celebrating, Jenni has to be physically assaulted by this guy.”