A viral video of Jennifer Hermoso has emerged recently, which has added a new twist to her ongoing controversy with Luis Rubiales. Hermoso has been at odds with Spanish FA head Luis Rubiales after the latter kissed her following Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory. However, while the soccer world has unanimously condemned Rubiales, the viral video has offered a different perspective.
Following the controversial incident, Luis Rubiales has been under a lot of pressure to submit his resignation. Although Rubiales refused to step down, stating his innocence, FIFA suspended him for 90 days. Meanwhile, there are reports that Jennifer Hermoso is planning to initiate legal proceedings against Rubiales. Although a video from the Spanish team bus has been making the rounds on the Internet.
A new video appears inside the bus of the Spanish women’s team about the kiss of Luis Rubiales.
Jenni Hermoso’s reaction with her teammates on the national team bus. pic.twitter.com/5f6ubOegDw
— Bleed Barcelona (@bleed_barcelona) August 30, 2023
In the video, Hermoso can be seen laughing while showing a meme about the controversial incident to her teammates. She appears to show a meme where the incident was compared to ex-Spanish star Iker Casillas kissing female journalist Sara Carbonero after winning the 2010 World Cup. The video has left soccer fans confused about whether Rubiales or Hermoso is the one to blame.
Here are some reactions from fans:
This is about to get more ugly đź’€
— King_Andre 👑 (@KingAndreasss) August 30, 2023
Not defending this man at all, he’s disgusting and shouldn’t be head of anything but the hypocrisy and irony here just shows the media influenced society we live in nowadays
— andyg (@andyg6411) August 30, 2023
The case should be closed. The man was played
— RIJK. (@RIJKSPORTS) August 30, 2023
you can clearly see how traumatized she is
— Jah Lani ♊⚕ (@DiLyrikalKilla) August 30, 2023
Who is to blame? The president (who should answer for his action), the players who laugher and cheered, the media… Sexual harassment is a serious offence and should not be used for personal gain. The next harassed person might face backlash because this trivializes everything.
— Igor Bobek (@slickbobi) August 30, 2023
The Spanish women’s team could also be heard chanting the word “beso“, which translates to “kiss.” The video, which has garnered four million views, has been reportedly sent to FIFA by Luis Rubiales. Hermoso has continued to maintain that she never consented to being kissed by Rubiales. However, the latest video has now raised doubts about whether there’s something more to the story.
RFEF makes a U-turn on their decision regarding Luis Rubiales
Meanwhile, RFEF has made a 180-degree turn on its stance to defend its beleaguered head, Luis Rubiales. A few days after the incident occurred, RFEF promised that they would take legal action to defend Rubiales. The Spanish FA also announced that it couldn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing against Rubiales.
The Presidents of Regional and Territorial Federation in the RFEF are asking for a total reconstruction of the Spanish federation. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/oXdf2U0bya
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 28, 2023
Previously, Hermoso had released a strongly worded statement against Luis Rubiales along with the FUTRO Union. However, responding to the statement, RFEF stated that those were lies spread by either the player or by someone on behalf of the player. RFEF has also rather stunningly demanded to be suspended from UEFA after the interference of the Spanish government in the incident.
Most recently, the RFEF released a statement in which they condemned Luis Rubiales and asked him to step down. The federation reiterated its commitment to the progression of women’s soccer in Spain and freshly congratulated them for their Women’s World Cup victory. Last but not least, RFEF also expressed its confidence in the interim president, Pedro Rocha.