TW: Sexual abuse and assault
Ione Gildroy
Spanish victory at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup quickly turned sour as the focus of global media instead shifted to cover the inappropriate acts committed by Spanish Football Association head, Luis Rubiales.
The Incident
No sooner had Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso accepted her medal than Rubiales grabbed her head and forcibly kissed her. Rubiales was also shown grabbing his crotch in celebration of Spain’s win.
“It’s hard to believe that in 2023, a man would forcibly grab and kiss a woman”
Hermoso made clear that she was uncomfortable with what had happened, Initially, Rubiales apologised. But not long after, he decided to defend himself, accusing critics of “false feminism” and claiming that he had not initiated the act.
In response, Hermoso released the following statement (translated by Alex Ibaceta):
“I want to make it clear that at no time did the conversation to which Mr. Luis Rubiales refers to in his address take place, and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual. I want to reiterate as I did before that I did not like this incident.
She continued, “I feel the need to report this incident because I believe that no person, in any work, sports, or social setting should be a victim of these types of non-consensual behaviours. I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part.”
The Aftermath
What followed was several weeks of intense media discussion and calls for Rubiales to resign or to be removed from his post. Many professional players from across the world echoed these calls with the Spanish team refusing to play until Rubiales was condemned. The incident has been under investigation, with Rubiales being accused of sexual assault and coercion.
Rubiales’ mother was admitted to a Spanish hospital following a hunger strike and has since been discharged. Ángeles Béjar locked herself inside a church in her hometown of Motril to protest the treatment of her son after his FIFA suspension.
Rubiales resigned on 10th September, three weeks after the kiss took place.
A system of abuse
Since the World Cup in 2019, there have been reports of sexual abuse in women’s football in countries, including the United States.
“It seems that abuse is deeply entrenched in the world of women’s football”
This abuse has been described as systemic. The results of a year-long investigation into sexual abuse in the US’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) revealed “a league in which abuse and misconduct, verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct, had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims.
“Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players.”
Some examples of abuse that were listed in the report include a coach showing a player pornography during a game review and then masturbating in front of her, another coach coercing players into sexual relationships and one coach creating a “culture of fear”.
The report found that the NWSL, US Soccer and teams failed to put safeguards in play for players, with the report saying: “Teams, the League, and the Federation not only repeatedly failed to respond appropriately when confronted with player reports and evidence of abuse, they also failed to institute basic measures to prevent and address it, even as some leaders privately acknowledged the need for workplace protections.
“As a result, abusive coaches were able to move from team to team, laundered by press releases thanking them for their service, and positive references from teams that minimized or even concealed misconduct. Those at the NWSL and USSF in a position to correct the record stayed silent. And no one at the teams, the League, or the Federation demanded better of coaches.”
Accusations Elsewhere in the World
It seems that abuse is deeply entrenched in the world of women’s football.
In Haiti, there have been accusations of systematic abuse of minors by several officials. These include those made by a 15-year-old player who was repeatedly assaulted by the president of the Haitian Football Federation. He has since been banned for life by FIFA.
“Officials on all levels appear to be doing little to promote change”
In Australia, former Matildas captain Lisa de Canna admitted that she had been a victim of sexual assault, harassment and bullying throughout her career. Sports Integrity Australia and Football Australia launched an investigation the same month.
In Canada, former women under-20 coach Bob Birarda was arrested in 2020, charged with six counts of sexual exploitation and two counts of sexual assault.
In Sweden, the women’s national team were forced to show their genitalia to doctors and told not to shave “down there” as proof of their gender so they could compete in the 2011 World Cup in Germany.
The recent kiss is symptomatic of a system of systemic abuse in women’s football worldwide. Officials have done little to promote change, with FIFA falling short and failing to protect and support players.
What does this mean for football?
In 2021 FIFA promised to set up a global safe sport entity and launched a child safeguarding program and toolkit. However, sources have confirmed that processes have not moved forward in the last few months.
The Rubiales scandal shows just how important it is that FIFA step up and do something to protect the women who are suffering worldwide because of a lack of support and safeguarding. This scandal should bring about change. However, it has been over two weeks since Rubiales resigned and nothing seems to have been done.
As long as FIFA keep dragging their feet, the health of female players all over the world is being put at risk. The Rubiales scandal is just a symptom of systematic sexual abuse that is taking place in women’s football behind closed doors. More needs to be done.
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Featured image courtesy of GoToVan via Flickr. No changes have been made to this image. Image license can be found here.
