Jenni Hermoso Team stands with her and refuses to play

Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso said Friday that ‘in no moment’ did she consent to a kiss on the lips by soccer federation president Luis Rubiales.

Hermoso issued a statement through her union hours after Rubiales claimed in an emergency meeting of the Spanish soccer federation that the kiss was consensual.

Facing his possible removal from office, Rubiales refused to step down despite the uproar he caused with the kiss, which happened during a medals ceremony last Sunday after the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia.

Earlier Friday, Rubiales said calls for him to step down were a campaign of "social assassination" by "false feminists" during a speech to the RFEF's general assembly in which he refused to resign.

"I want to clarify, as you can see in the images, that at no time did I consent to the kiss that he gave me," Jenni Hermoso said. "I won't tolerate that my word is called into question, and even less so that words are invented which I didn't say."

Hermoso and her teammates called for "real change to help the national team to keep growing, to be able to bring this great success to the generations to come" and said they would not play for Spain while "the current management" remains at the RFEF.

She said that she had repeatedly rebuffed the Spanish federation’s request to make a comment that would justify Rubiales’ act and lessen the pressure on the football chief. Even so, she claimed that the federation had continued to approach her, as well as her friends and family. “I’m sure that as a world champion national team we do not deserve such a manipulative, hostile and controlling culture,” she added.

Spain is in a group with Sweden, which finished third at the World Cup, Switzerland and Italy. That would seem to make the game against Sweden critical for Spain’s hopes of qualifying for its first Olympics.

Spain’s pipeline is so deep it was able to easily replace most of the 15 players who expressed concerns to the federation last September about coach Jorge Vilda and the environment he created. Only three of those players were included on the World Cup roster.

FIFPRO, the international players’ union, also issued a statement calling for “immediate disciplinary action” against Rubiales. FIFA opened an investigation against Rubiales on Thursday, and FIFPRO said it also has appealed to UEFA to request disciplinary proceedings.

“Any lack of action by authorities in addressing the conduct of Mr. Rubiales would send an entirely unacceptable and damaging message to the football industry and wider society,” the statement read.

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 Sarah H

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