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‘They stole it from us': How Spain can reclaim their moment after Luis Rubiales scandal
When the England team left the pitch after their last match against Spain, a 2-1 comeback defeat in June's Nations League fixture, there was one overriding feeling in the dressing room. 'They're just so hard to play against', was one exhausted view. Spain's ideology means they're seen as an almost singular challenge in the women's game. The England players enjoy the test, admire the players as icons, and know the world champions are the team to beat. Spanish manager Montse Tome has still rejected the description of favourites, in that way that coaches do to try and get elite teams playing as if they are starting from scratch again. Many of Spain's world champions would actually like to start from scratch in a different sense. This singular team want their own singular victory, independent of past troubles. If it seems unfair on this historic squad for their 2023 World Cup win to always be clouded by the Luis Rubiales case, such talk is only in-keeping with the sentiments of the players themselves. Many of them speak about it in a brilliant new Netflix documentary about the story, called "Se Acabo" - 'It's over: the kiss that changed Spanish football'. Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmati goes as far as saying, 'Our World Cup win was overshadowed and, well, tarnished'. Ivana Andres adds, 'They stole it from us', before a striking revelation from Jenni Hermoso, the legend subjected to the Rubiales kiss. She admits there were flickers where she would think, 'Holy sh--, I'm a world champion', only to check herself. 'That feeling only lasts a second as I can't relive that moment,' Hermoso says. She won't get to relive any victory in Switzerland, as she has been controversially omitted from the squad, so won't get to see the many changes either. Even in the weeks before that Rubiales scandal, some of the players found circumstances so bad at the World Cup that they still can't quite understand how they won it. Bonmati admits they were asking themselves, 'How is that possible?' The contrast to the men is made explicit, as the documentary reveals remarkable messages from former captain Sergio Ramos asking Rubiales for Hublot watches. The women simply wanted flight times that could allow a decent night's sleep before big games. It is why there is now talk of a 'special spirit' around Euro 2025, all the more so because of the contrasts with the last Euros. That 2022 tournament in England is seen as another nadir, given how the squad's complaints ultimately led to the landmark moment of 'las 15'. They were the 15 players who withdrew from selection two months later, after raising concerns over how standards in Jorge Vilda's squad could be significantly improved to allow them to fulfil their potential. The downbeat mood, and failure to get beyond the quarter-finals, felt all the more inevitable due to the injury to Alexia Putellas on the eve of the tournament. There was a worrying echo of this on the eve of Euro 2025, when Aitana was last week sent to hospital with viral meningitis. Some around the squad couldn't help feel deja vu. And yet it is maybe another sign of how fortunes have changed that Aitana was out of hospital and back with the squad by Tuesday. 'Everything's going well,' Bonmati said. The words around Spain's Lausanne camp now are 'tranquility' and 'stability'. Conditions have also changed, to go with the fact the team now play with the assurance that comes from true achievement. They've been there and done it, and that through hugely difficult circumstances. Now, the squad just don't have the same distractions. Many players finally feel standards have started to be elevated to club levels, as well as those of the men. 'Everything has changed radically in terms of conditions, trips, nutrition and training,' Putellas told Marca. 'Everything we need to be the best. It's at the level of a top men's team. It's something incredible, that took a lot of work from many people.' Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey speaks of how, 'It's a more professional atmosphere, with better preparation, where they listen to us and ask what we need'. Amanda Gutierrez, the president of the Futpro union that worked with the players through the Rubiales case, still points out that changes have been 'gradual'. Duly, you probably can't go through ructions like that without some remnants of the past persisting. The omission of Hermoso has raised some old issues, as well as new questions for the coach, Tome. She had been Vilda's assistant at the 2023 World Cup, only to quickly become his successor in the overhaul after the Rubiales case. That decision was hardly praised, even though players had previously seen her as a confidante. Some felt she 'changed', with her appointment viewed as a continuation of the old regime. When Rubiales gave his infamous speech refusing to resign, Tome is seen beside Vilda applauding. In 'Se Acabo', one of the 15, Lola Gallardo, describes that moment as Vilda and Tome 'selling out their players again'. It doesn't help that, like Vilda, Tome isn't considered a coach of sufficient quality. She won the inaugural Women's Nations League months after the 2023 World Cup, but the fourth place at the 2024 Olympics was considered a failure. Hermoso even seemed to criticise Tome's abilities in a social media post, stating: 'Manage? That's what others should learn to do, that part is too big for them.' Hermoso added that she 'also has a very clear conscience', referencing Tome's own words about the decision. The manager had insisted it was purely for football reasons, although suspicion reigns. For Tome's part, other players from 'the 15' have been picked, and Hermoso is now 35 years old. There are fair arguments about whether she is still at the same level, especially against a pool overflowing with talent. Tome looked at 70 players, all amplified by that ingrained ideology. The manager told AS she did what was best 'for the squad, not what is best for Montse'. Hermoso still finished her post with a flourish, saying to let Tome 'focus now on making Spain European champions, although they would also do it on their own and surely much better'. As sharp as that sounds, many would agree. It's what happened in 2023. Spain possess such quality that they only need the most basic guidance. The sense of flow is illustrated by how, less than two years after the World Cup, only 11 of the 23-players quad remain. Members of 'the 15' in Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina have meanwhile returned, ready to attack Euro 2025 with a new relish. Their sense of new opportunity amplifies that of the squad. In 'Se Acabo', the players openly talk about how the changes caused by the 2023 World Cup were a greater victory than the trophy. They have now given themselves the platform for a purely sporting victory. Mariona says the camp is now about 'football, only football', as Putellas offered a touching message on the eve of the tournament: 'Now it's time to enjoy, compete and give happiness.' Maybe not to the opposition.
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The trial over a World Cup kiss that has gripped Spain
It is a trial that has gripped Spain. The nation's former football chief Luis Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and coercion over a kiss in the wake of Spain winning the 2023 Women's World Cup. Millions watched on television around the world as Rubiales cupped player Jenni Hermoso 's head and kissed her on the lips during the medal ceremony. The furore overshadowed Spain's triumph and galvanised Spain's version of a MeToo movement, called #SeAcabo – it's over – where female players were fighting against sexism and inequalities with male players. On Monday, Hermoso told a court that Rubiales forcibly kissed her on the lips. Rubiales denies any wrongdoing. Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, which was broadcast live on television in Spain, Hermoso said she never consented to being kissed by Rubiales. 'I felt it was totally out of place, and I then realised my boss was kissing me and this shouldn't happen in any social or workplace setting. I felt disrespected,' she said. 'One of the happiest days of my life was tarnished and I think that's very important for me to say that I never sought, much less expected, that this would happen. I think personally that it was a lack of respect.' Hermoso gave evidence just a metre from where Rubiales was sitting in the dock. Unlike the ex-football boss, who talked to his lawyer throughout the hearing, Hermoso told the judge she was 'listening all the time'. Hermoso, who plays for Tigres in Mexico, said on the team bus back towards the airport she was shown a statement that had been drafted on her behalf by the football federation. It was issued in her name later that day. The 34-year-old player said the statement made her feel 'that I was participating in something I hadn't done and in which I didn't want to participate'. 'I will say it again, never did I want this to happen,' she added. Hermoso said her life had changed forever when she arrived back in Madrid. She said she received death threats and had to leave the city because of the constant media attention. 'I'm a world champion but it seems that, even to this day, my life has been on standby. I honestly haven't been able to live freely,' she said. Hermoso has become an icon for feminists. Before Hermoso gave evidence, Spanish Equality Minister Ana Redondo posted on the social media site X: 'Thanks to you Jenni and your teammates we add another victory for feminism." Alongside Rubiales, former women's national coach Jorge Vilda, former Spanish football federation (RFEF) sporting director Albert Luque and the RFEF's former head of marketing Rubén Rivera are also on trial for allegedly pressurising Hermoso. All three deny the charges. Public prosecutors are seeking a jail term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales if he is convicted. In Spain, normally jail terms of up to two years are suspended if the defendant has no previous convictions. Rubiales initially called his critics idiots before later apologising and saying the kiss was 'without bad faith at a time of maximum effusiveness'. After resigning in September 2023, Rubiales was banned from all football-related activities for three years by world governing body Fifa. Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of the men's Spain football team, told the court on Tuesday that he knew nothing of a meeting by officials of the RFEF to try to silence the row over the kiss. The coach, who was appointed under Rubiales' tenure at the RFEF, said he found out about the kiss on the plane from Australia to Spain but was 'unaware of the scale' of the backlash. On Wednesday, the brother of Hermoso and one of her teammates told the judge there were attempts to pressure the player into downplaying the kiss. Rafael Hermoso said in court that former women's national team coach Vilda asked him to tell Jenni to record a video together with the former president to show she was OK with the kiss. Rafael said his sister told him she was pressurised several times by members of the Spanish federation. "She came to us half-crying and told us that they were pressuring her to take a stance downplaying the kiss,' Rafael said. 'We were talking about soccer and the achievement of the team and suddenly he mentioned the kiss,' Rafael said. 'He said that the president wanted me to talk to Jenni to ask her to record the video together downplaying the kiss, because that would be the best thing for everyone.' Rafael added that Vilda told him that Rubiales' daughters were crying and that the president was worried about losing his job because of what happened. He said Vilda told him that he had already talked to Jenni and that she had not agreed to do the video. 'I told him that I was not going to try to convince her to do something that I also don't agree with,' Rafael said. Rafael said he felt Vilda threatened his sister by hinting that things would not be good for her in the federation if she decided not to help. He also said Vilda implied that Jenni owed that to Rubiales' daughters and the president himself. Former teammate Misa Rodríguez said Jenni told the other players that she was being coerced and that she was 'not well' after what happened. Rodríguez said Jenni told them about the kiss and that she did not know how to react to it. She also said that Jenni told them she was being pressurised to record a video and downplay the kiss. 'She told us that she didn't want to do it and we supported her decision,' Rodríguez said. 'We told her that she should not talk to anybody anymore and should try to get some rest, because we noticed that she was not well.' Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes and Laia Condia, who all play for the Spanish national team, will also appear as witnesses for the prosecution. Rubiales is expected to give evidence from February 12 and has also called his daughters as witnesses in his defence. Under a 2023 reform of Spain's criminal law, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault and can carry penalties from a fine to four years in prison. The saga took an unexpected turn when Mr Rubiales' mother Angeles Bejar started a brief hunger strike in support of his son inside a Catholic church in the family's hometown of Motril in southern Spain. In a sign that this was a defining moment not just for Spanish sport but for women's rights, the country's World Cup women's team players staged a temporary strike and refused to play until deep changes were made in the Spanish football federation. The trial will run until 19 February.
