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Spain women’s World Cup players demand more heads roll
Spain women's national football team's players celebrate on stage during their 2023 World Cup victory parade in Madrid on August 21, 2023. Almost all of the Spain's Women's World Cup-winning squad will continue to reject national team call-ups unless there are more changes at the Spanish football federation following the scandal over Luis Rubiales' unsolicited kiss. (Photo: AFP)
International Football, Sports
September 16, 2023

Spain women’s World Cup players demand more heads roll

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — The crisis within Spanish football deepened Friday as the women’s World Cup winners demanded more heads roll at its scandal-hit RFEF federation whose disgraced ex-boss appeared in court on sexual assault charges.

Just hours after Luis Rubiales was quizzed by a judge for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso, all but two of Spain’s 23 World Cup players said they would not don the national shirt without deeper changes within the RFEF, demanding its current interim head also resign.

The statement came as the squad’s new coach, Montse Tome, was to announce the line-up for two upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League matches against Sweden and Switzerland, which was promptly postponed, federation sources said.

“The changes put in place are not enough,” said a statement signed by 39 players, among them 21 of the 23 World Cup winners.

Demanding “fundamental changes to the RFEF’s leadership”, they called for the “resignation of the RFEF President” Pedro Rocha, who took over as interim leader when FIFA suspended Rubiales on August 26.

Despite a string of recent changes the federation remains in the hands of officials appointed by Rubiales, with the players insisting on structural changes “within the office of the president and the secretary general”.

The bombshell came after days of optimism within the RFEF that the players would come round after it sacked controversial Coach Jorge Vilda, appointed Tome in his stead, and pledged further changes — not to mention Rubiales’ long-awaited resignation on Sunday.

On August 25, 81 Spain players, including the 23 world champions, had started a mass strike saying they would not play for the national team without significant changes at the head of the federation.

Earlier on Friday, Rubiales appeared in court where he was quizzed by Judge Francisco de Jorge who is heading up the investigation into the kiss that sparked international outrage and saw him brought up on sexual assault charges.

At the end of the closed-door hearing, in which Rubiales repeated his claim that the kiss was consensual, the judge ordered him not to come within 200 metres (yards) of Hermoso and barred him from any contact with the player.

At the weekend the 46-year-old had described the kiss as “a spontaneous act, a mutual act, an act that both consented to, which was… 100 per cent non-sexual” in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Hermoso, 33, has insisted it was not, describing it as “an impulsive macho act, out of place, and with no type of consent on my part”.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Hermoso’s lawyer Carla Vall said they were “very satisfied” with the hearing.

“Thanks to this video everyone can see there was no consent whatsoever, and that is what we will demonstrate in court.”

Hermoso herself will also testify before the judge at some stage, who will then have to decide whether or not to push ahead with the prosecution. No date has been given for her testimony.

The complaint against Rubiales, which was filed by the public prosecutors’ office, cites alleged offences of sexual assault and coercion.

Under a recent reform of the Spanish penal code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault — a category which groups all types of sexual violence.

If found guilty, Rubiales could face anything from a fine to four years in prison, sources at the public prosecutors’ office have said.

In their complaint, prosecutors explained the offence of coercion related to Hermoso’s statement, saying she “and those close to her had suffered constant ongoing pressure by Luis Ru

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