Spain’s prime minister praised women’s soccer team strike

“Our players have won twice: first on the pitch and now by teaching the world a lesson, a lesson about equality between men and women,” said Sánchez in Malaga on Saturday.

The team players are on strike after Rubiales held Spain international Jennifer Hermoso’s head in both hands and kissed her on the mouth after her World Cup win in Sydney on August 20. The behavior of the head of the Spanish football association RFEF triggered international outrage and a crisis in Spanish football. With the strike, the players want to push through a new leadership of the football association.

“Spain is a feminist country,” emphasized Prime Minister Sánchez. He also spoke of “women who have decided to no longer submit”. When asked whether the incident had damaged the perception of Spain abroad, the Prime Minister said: “No”. Rather, the brand of Spain is shaped by the unprecedented reaction of the players and the reaction of Spanish society, which joins the protest and says “it’s over now,” said the social democratic head of government.

Despite the massive criticism, Rubiales continues to hold on to his office. He will not resign “because of a small consensual kiss”, said the association president. He also denounced the violent reactions as “false feminism”.

The Spanish Sports Court (TAD) has initiated proceedings against Rubiales for “serious misconduct”. The world football association FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings shortly after the incident and suspended the head of the association for an initial period of 90 days.