Spanish acting prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, says the country’s soccer federation chief’s public apology for his unsolicited kiss of national player Jenni Hermoso was “not enough.”
FA president Luis Rubiales has come under fire after kissing a female player on the lips while celebrating Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup after they beat England in Sunday’s final.
In her initial comment to teammates in the locker room, Hermoso said she didn’t like the gesture.
“Hey, I didn’t like it,” she said, according to video footage posted on social media.
She later downplayed the incident as being a “mutual” show of excitement after the big win.
Growing outrage
As criticisms mounted, Rubiales whose first reaction was to dismiss critics as “idiots and stupid people”, issued an apology.
“Surely I was wrong; I have to admit. It was without bad faith at a time of maximum effusiveness,” he said in a video statement late Monday.
But calls have grown for his resignation in a country where gender issues have recently become a hot topic.
“We’ve seen his apology and that’s not enough, he must be much clearer and convincing in apologising,” Prime Minister Sanchez told a news conference Tuesday.
“He must take more steps to clarify a behaviour that is unacceptable.”
Sanchez said the Spanish government lacked the power to appoint or fire the federation’s president.
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