Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, admitted to making a “regrettable decision” following Spain’s decisive Women’s World Cup victory over England.
In his excitement and following Spain’s victory, Rubiales claimed to be caught up in the moment when he decided to give soccer star Jennifer Hermoso an unwanted kiss on the lips.
Facing widespread criticism following this unusual behavior, Rubiales initially appeared unhappy that he felt the need to defend himself, calling all those who condemned his actions in the heat of the moment “idiots.”
He later conceded that “I made a huge mistake,” while acknowledging the fact that many “people have felt hurt” by the behavior following Spain’s thrilling World Cup victory.
Rubiales stated that this kiss was a spontaneous act that had, in no way occurred in “bad faith.” In defending his rather bizarre behavior, Rubiales responded to his critics, saying that the world needs to respect all that these incredibly talented and ambitious women have accomplished while celebrating their inspiring performance “as much as we can.”
Rubiales noted that he feels badly for the way his actions have overshadowed Spain’s win, which he went on to describe as one of Spain’s most impressive sporting successes in the country’s history.
Many fans called his post-game actions “not ok,” “unacceptable” and “simply disgusting.”
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Alberta Ortega, a writer for the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, said on social media that the kiss was “a new demonstration of [Rubiales’] need to suck the camera and be the protagonist when it is not his turn.”
