FINALLY, Luis Rubiales has jumped.
He says he did it because he was becoming a distraction, when in actual fact he became a disgrace.
Most of us had worked that out nearly three weeks ago.
It’s not that I’m all for sacking people with immediate effect as soon as there is a hint of wrongful behaviour.
We all make mistakes.
But Rubiales’ suggestion that he is innocent and “a good guy” just doesn’t cut it, I’m afraid.
Of course, he would say that now, wouldn’t he?
The kiss he planted on Jenni Hermoso’s lips made me audibly wince at the time and sent a shiver down my spine.
It’s one thing getting caught up in the euphoria of the moment but quite another to actually forcibly land a smacker right on someone’s mouth.
It was such an invasion of personal space – the grabbing hold of her – just moments after he’d grabbed his crotch while sitting alongside the Queen of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter.
What Rubiales has failed to comprehend throughout this drawn-out tale is that it is not for him to decide whether there was any aggression – sexual or otherwise – associated with his actions.
That is the job of the person on the receiving end.
Perpetrators do not have the right to say what is and isn’t acceptable.
Of course, we know football has a problem with women and needs a culture change to get rid of the sexism and misogyny.
It needs a root-and-branch overhaul.
Rubiales going is merely a snip at a bough.
Wrong, but keep it in perspective
By Laura Dodsworth
I SYMPATHISE with Jenni Hermoso.
When I was 21 my first male boss pinned me to a wall at a work do and tried to stick his tongue in my mouth.
In the words of Hermoso, I did not enjoy it.
Rubiales’ behaviour was inappropriate, even if it was a genuine expression of Latin exuberance.
With the cameras rolling and in the face of his high spirits, Hermoso might have felt she had to go along with a kiss she would not have ordinarily consented to.
But to get some perspective, it was just a second or two, happening after a hug and before a slap on the back.
Kissing is more typical in some countries (such as Spain) and it is also a jubilant response to success.
Do you remember Maradona and team-mate Claudio Caniggia sharing a kiss after a goal?
Gary Neville even gave Paul Scholes a smacker.
None of these celebratory kisses caused a scandal.
While they didn’t share the same power imbalance, they could have caused a backlash of a different sort. But they didn’t.
Rubiales should have reflected more humbly on the impact of this kiss and given an unequivocal apology.
Yet he steadfastly refused to resign.
And instead of being seen as a football heroine, Hermoso has been cast as a victim.
One problem with the #MeToo scandals in the US was grouping together too wide a spectrum of sexual misbehaviour.
This kiss has launched Spain’s #MeToo moment, but it shouldn’t ignite a Spanish Inquisition.
September 12, 2023 at 12:55AM
from The Sun