JENNI Hermoso insists she did NOT consent to being kissed by disgraced football chief Luis Rubiales after the Women’s World Cup final.
The 33-year-old admitted she “felt vulnerable and the victim of aggression” in the immediate aftermath of the kiss, which the Spanish FA president claimed was “consensual”.
Rubiales – who was hit with a 90-day suspension by FIFA today – has faced furious backlash, with 81 Spanish stars now refusing to play for the women’s team and men’s star Borja Iglesias also striking.
England’s Lionesses – who lost to Spain in the final – also slammed the Spanish FA as a “sexist and patriarchal organisation”.
On Friday Rubiales sensationally refused to resign during an emergency press conference and blamed “false feminism” for his “social assassination”.
Hermoso then issued an emotional statement overnight in which she claimed she had been put under “continuous pressure” to defend the Spanish football federation president.
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She said she had felt “vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part” in a hard-hitting Instagram post.
Jenni, who plays for Mexican side Pachuca, spoke out after Spain’s national women’s soccer team announced they would not play again until Rubiales stepped down following his surprise decision to fight his detractors and refuse to resign.
Late last night the football federation he presides over honed in on Hermoso and accused her of lying in a bizarre photo-led ‘defence’ of the seconds leading up to the infamous Stadium Australia kiss which is now being talked about more than the Spanish women’s historic World Cup win.
The Spanish FA pointed the finger directly at Hermoso by publishing four pictures it insisted showed her putting her arms round Rubiales and lifting him up from the ground.
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She has insisted she never sought to lift Rubiales up despite him claiming otherwise at a press conference yesterday when he said the kiss was “spontaneous” and happened after she said “OK” to his suggestion of a “little peck”.
In a statement via football union FUTPRO, Hermoso denied trying to lift Rubiales up from the ground and she and her World Cup teammates announced their ‘Quit or we’ll not play again’ ultimatum to Rubiales.
Announcing lawsuits in its no-holds-barred response, the Spanish FA said: “The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and its president will demonstrate each one of the lies that are being spread, whether by someone in the name of the player Jennifer Hermoso, or if it were the case, by the player herself.
“The RFEF and its president, given the gravity of the press release put out by the FUTPRO union, is going to initiate corresponding legal action.
“The RFEF regrets that after such an extraordinary sporting success as that which occurred at the World Cup finals, we cannot be celebrating the situation and this success in the deserved way due to totally non-sporting reasons.”
In another direct message to Jenni and her World Cup team-mates over their decision to boycott the national team while Rubiales remains in his post, the Spanish FA added: “The RFEF respects at all times the decisions of the players about wanting to participate or not with the Spanish team in international games.
“However it would like to state that participation in the team is an obligation of those who are federated if they are called for that purpose.”
The Spanish FA claimed in its lengthy statement it had tried to contact Jenni Hermoso about her post-match claims regarding the kiss but had failed to reach her.
Appearing to threaten her as well as her football union with legal action it said: “The RFEF announces the presentation of as many lawsuits as are necessary to defend the honourability of its president, who has outlined in a very clear and simple way how the events occurred that are the motive of divisiveness and mockery of large sectors of society against him.
“The press release FUTPRO put out has inverted quotes attributed to Jennifer Hermoso in which she says: “‘I want to clarify that, as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and of course I never tried to lift the president up. I will not tolerate my words being questioned, much less words that I have not said being invented.’”
“In a state where there is rule of law, opinions are counteracted with facts and evidence and lies are refuted in court.
“The RFEF president has wanted to deal with his issue with the maximum respect for the players and institutions and only when an unacceptable red line was crossed has he come out publicly to give his version of events.”
Claiming Rubiales’s version of events was “true” and he “doesn’t lie” the statement went on to detail against a sequence of four photos how Jenni Hermoso “grabbed him with her hands round his back” and said the fact his hands were loose on the top of her back meant he was “unable to exert any pressure.”
Saying she lifted him off the ground by pointing out his heels “were higher in photo one than in photo two”, the RFEF insisted he had been forced to hold onto her back to maintain his balance while the player hoisted him up into the air.
Of the last photo it said: “Jennifer Hermoso still has her arms in the same position on the president’s body while the president has to carry on holding onto the player so as not to fall.
“It is obvious that the arch in the player’s back corresponds to the force of elevation of the president she is carrying out.
“The evidence is conclusive, the RFEF president has not lied.”
The Spanish FA did not publish any pictures of the kiss itself in its photo compilation, or the shocking moment when Rubiales grabbed his crotch next to Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter after the final whistle which he has apologised for.
The controversial football chief initially branded his detractors “idiots” in the backlash over the kiss and his crotch grab.
He later apologised for the kiss but defended it as a spontaneous act before saying “false feminists” claiming he had committed an act of sexual violence were guilty of an attempted “social assassination” in an apparent U-turn on an initial decision to resign.
The Spanish government has started legal action to suspend Rubiales.
Men’s striker Iglesias, who plays for Real Betis and has two international caps, has showed his support for the women players by quitting the national team in protest.
World Cup runners-up England released a joint statement on Friday evening which read: “Unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organisation.
“Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth.
“The behaviour of those who think they are invincible must not be tolerated and people shouldn’t need convincing to take action against any form of harassment.
“We all stand with you, Jenni Hermoso and all players of the Spanish team.”
Former Man United goalie David de Gea tweeted after Rubiales refused to go quietly: “My ears are bleeding.”
USA legend Alex Morgan said: “I’m disgusted by the public actions of Luis Rubiales.
“I stand by @Jennihermoso and the Spanish players.
“Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players’ lives but instead it’s overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation.”
Former Arsenal star Hector Bellerin said: “What is happening is truly shameful.
“From representing our country with that level of vulgarity, misrepresenting the victim’s statements and, on top of that, having the audacity to blame her, going on to victimise her for having committed an abuse, are facts that no one would do.
“How can this go unpunished? Football is a social tool to make advancements and progress, machismo should have no place within this system.
“The narcissist never believes he has made a mistake, he is capable of lying, manipulating the truth and making the victim guilty in order to maintain his power above others.”
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And ITV presenter Laura Woods added: “This actually isn’t trial by social media…it’s a pattern of behaviour being called out in a way that can’t be ignored any longer.
“And if some sort of justice is served, perhaps a ‘social assassination’ as Rubiales calls it, is exactly what was needed.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
