Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso unleashes social tsunami in Spain

1 year ago 19
Media caption,

Luis Rubiales: Spanish federation president kisses Hermoso during ceremony

By Guillem Balague

BBC Sport

A buss connected the lips, a increasing backlash and wide resignations among coaching staff: BBC Sport's Spanish shot adept Guillem Balague reflects connected a tumultuous week for the athletics and for Spain's nine arsenic a whole.

This is the Spanish MeToo moment.

It's an accidental to absorption everybody's attraction connected the attraction of women successful shot - and connected the vexation astatine what galore spot arsenic systemic blindness astatine the apical of an elite organisation, the Spanish shot federation.

Jenni Hermoso is being backed not conscionable by pistillate players, but antheral players excessively - though possibly not arsenic overmuch arsenic hoped.

It's caused a tempest successful football, which has turned into a societal tsunami. It feels similar wherever you are, everyone is talking astir it, and successful Spain it's the fig 1 communicative each day.

It's a communicative astir a antheral - Luis Rubiales - who appears wholly retired of interaction with reality, a antheral agelong followed by acolytes and surrounded by supporters with an seemingly identical satellite view.

But now, this influential radical has go a minority.

Their defiance connected this contented has near galore radical incredulous - and successful Spain, they are looking exposed.

The coaching unit of the women's nationalist broadside has resigned, but notably not the manager Jorge Vilda, who was - alongside different elder figures successful Spanish shot - spotted clapping erstwhile Rubiales was talking yesterday.

This has not gone unnoticed by the Spanish public.

Remember that the players were not conscionable asking for Rubiales to go, but for different members of the federation to spell too. These women who person conquered the satellite spot this infinitesimal arsenic an accidental to determination speech anyone they deliberation is lasting successful the mode of their ngo to execute unflinching respect and equality.

For galore people, this is astir however favoritism against women functions. It not conscionable done by 1 person; it is done by a system.

And successful Spain, this occurrence shows however the conflict lines person been drawn.

It's a conflict being taken up astatine the precise highest level.

President Pedro Sanchez has nary fearfulness proclaiming himself a feminist. In the Spanish sporting groups I circulate in, radical consciousness they indispensable intervene - that enactment indispensable beryllium taken.

And beyond that, the feeling is Spain indispensable instrumentality vantage of this moment, which has intensified truthful rapidly and is capturing headlines astir the world.

One week ago, we were celebrating a historical World Cup victory. That has rapidly soured, immoderate say. It's been a whirlwind of occurrence and recrimination, of holding to relationship - and of sheer defiance.

But determination is 1 happening radical connected each broadside hold on: this is 1 of the astir important weeks for Spain successful surviving memory.

For galore people, it's an accidental to determination into a amended place. For others it's a accidental to acceptable the grounds consecutive - arsenic they spot it.

It's hard to exaggerate however influential Rubiales was. His defiance suggests helium whitethorn person felt information successful that influence.

But the voices against him person multiplied, starting with Jenni Hermoso and her chap players and past snowballing into their coaching staff, the men's crippled and the newspapers. Now, this is being talked astir about astir each azygous meal array successful Spain.

He whitethorn not consciousness truthful harmless immoderate more.

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