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That World Cup kiss

331 replies

mids2019 · 26/08/2023 08:03

The news about the world cup is being dominated by an unsolicited kiss on the lips on a Spanish player. I do not want to condone the rather bizarre and overly personal celebration of the head of Spanish football (idiot) but I do feel the whole matter has drawn focus away from the football on the pitch and made the hugely successful world cup a feminist issue where discussions are now revolving around appropriate behaviour between men and women rather than the actual sport.

Young girl players instead of looking up to the heroic exploits of our players are now getting drawn into much more general discussions about personal limits and what constitutes assault. I think this is all a pity really.

OP posts:
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myrtleWilson · 26/08/2023 09:48

good statement released last nigh from the lionesses in support of their Spanish colleagues

BIWI · 26/08/2023 09:50

@mids2019

I certainly didn't want to trivialize important issues

Well you were clearly aiming to do that

but only wanted to highlight the point that women's football benefits from a focus on the sport rather than necessarily being used as a platform to highlight societal problems (which are important!)

So when do you think it's important to discuss and highlight these issues? Where better than the most important football tournament around the world? Or do you think it should have been done behind closed doors?

I really don't understand what you're trying to do here. You say it's important, but then dismiss it!

PeanutContinuum · 26/08/2023 09:50

Be angry with him. He is the one committing sexual and sexist assaults. He is the one taking focus from the women’s achievements. Don’t minimise his (habitual) wrongdoing because you’d rather think of something nicer FFS.

Jenni Hermoso is really brave and an excellent role model.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

PinkCherryBlossoms · 26/08/2023 09:51

myrtleWilson · 26/08/2023 09:48

good statement released last nigh from the lionesses in support of their Spanish colleagues

Yep, brilliant to see them speaking up too.

LizzieSiddal · 26/08/2023 09:52

This is much bigger than “just a kiss”
The woman involved has said she did not like it, she did not consent and she and her family have been inundated with calls from the Spanish FA, telling them they should come out and support the man who did it. She also alludes to the fact the women players have had to put up with this kind of behaviour for years and they are absolutely fed up with it.

All the Spanish women players are refusing to play for the Spanish team until he goes.
Some of the male Spanish players have said they will not play either, until he goes.

So this is all an important lesson for girls everywhere- you do not need to put up with unwanted sexual behaviour. Brilliant imo.

Kernackered · 26/08/2023 09:53

Not rtft yet, but I absolutely cannot believe what I've just heard on sky news. A team of forensic scientists have studied the footage and concluded she gave her consent??? Overriding the actual woman who says she didn't?? I am absolutely enraged this morning.

WhatapityWapiti · 26/08/2023 09:55

mids2019 · 26/08/2023 09:43

@WhenIWasAFieldMyself

I will.leave criminal prosecution to the Spanish police. I will educate myself on Spanish law.

It happened in Australia. Australian law is what applies.

But assault is a crime in the vast majority of countries. Not sure why you accepted it was an assault but questioned whether it was a crime?

mids2019 · 26/08/2023 09:56

@IMustDoMoreExercise

At a juniour level there is a great deal of effort to treat boys and girls the same and feminism per se is avoided as a subject. I think ideally the focus on the sport should come first but if there are obvious transgressions then certainly they should be dealt with appropraitely.

I think the question here is whether the world cup will now be remembered for sexual assaults and misbehaviour or the spectacle itself. The kiss is now the dominant narrative and is it the case now that there has to be some deep soul searching about the sport itself before we can continue to grow women s football and attract new talent?

OP posts:
Zonder · 26/08/2023 09:58

In reality I think for the sport the wrong team won the final and there would have been a much more celebratory end to this great sporting spectacle of England has won. There seems to be a lot of issues with the Spanish team that has deflected from the sport and I don't know if their success is necessarily an aid to the sport in general.

I really don't think you get it. Firstly you downplay a woman getting kissed by someone very senior to her, very publicly and without her consent, because it might detract from a football result, never mind what it does to women's rights and safety.

Secondly you think the wrong team won, despite winning fairly, and that there would be more celebration if England had won. This is some kind of special anglo-centric world view.

natura · 26/08/2023 09:58

He went to the team to try to silence them with pleas about how he has a wife and kids and they shouldn't be put through the stress of all this attention.

The team have since said that they won't play any more until he's removed from office, and the Spanish league are now threatening to SUE them unless they shut up and sit down.

It's institutionalised silencing and it's utterly disgusting on every level.

Lottapianos · 26/08/2023 09:58

'Jenni Hermoso is really brave and an excellent role model.'

She really is. Her statement is brilliant. I dread to think what she and her colleagues have had to put up with from these fuckers for years

IClaudine · 26/08/2023 09:59

The lengths men will go to to protect each other.

The players have indicated that the kiss is symptomatic of wider problems and I bet the Spanish FA is desperately trying to stop sunlight flooding in on those problems by discrediting Hermoso.

calimali · 26/08/2023 10:00

It's grim. I feel so uncomfortable, actually I feel angry - watching that video clip of him grabbing her head and kissing her. I am sickened that the Spanish FA have the audacity to go through the footage frame by frame in an attempt to 'prove' that Hemoso gave her consent. How bloody dare they?

His behaviour throughout was appaling. The crotch grabbing was vile. The head grabbing, the kissing. All vile.

The Spanish FA are idiots to support him when he has shown his true colours in front of millons of people around the world. What doe this tell us about attitutudes towards women in Spain as a whole?

Lottapianos · 26/08/2023 10:01

'He went to the team to try to silence them with pleas about how he has a wife and kids and they shouldn't be put through the stress of all this attention.'

Jesus, what an arsehole. Despite all the macho posturing, men like this take responsibility for absolutely nothing

mids2019 · 26/08/2023 10:01

@WhatapityWapiti

I apologise it will be the Australian police that would have to argue for prosecution. Assault is a crime so we do we look forward to announcement of an arrest by the police? There certainly were a lot of witnesses?

OP posts:
Zonder · 26/08/2023 10:02

At a juniour level there is a great deal of effort to treat boys and girls the same and feminism per se is avoided as a subject.
Do you have involvement in girls football at a junior level? I actually think we may live in different worlds.

IClaudine · 26/08/2023 10:02

The kiss is now the dominant narrative and is it the case now that there has to be some deep soul searching about the sport itself before we can continue to grow women s football and attract new talent?

No soul searching needed. Just better behaviour from men. Not rocket science.

BCCoach · 26/08/2023 10:03

mids2019 · 26/08/2023 09:43

@WhenIWasAFieldMyself

I will.leave criminal prosecution to the Spanish police. I will educate myself on Spanish law.

It happened in Australia. Nothing to do with the Spanish police.

EnjoyingTheSilence · 26/08/2023 10:04

@Tinysoxx oh wow. I didn’t know about that.

Fucking disgusting

newnamethanks · 26/08/2023 10:04

All that's missing from that piece of film is a hefty slap on the arse as she walks away with ten euros tucked into her shirt pocket. She's a professional sportswoman who should be treated as an equal and afforded respect. This is an excellent example of how women are treated with contempt and I hope girls are watching and absorbing the lesson that they are not toys to be manhandled without complaint as any man wishes. He should go.

calimali · 26/08/2023 10:05

And his so called 'apology' made me even angrier. Absolutely not an apology to Hermoso, just a barely acknowledged mention of the crotch grabbing. I assume he thinks that behaving like that whilst standing next to the Queen is more likely to cause him trouble. His actions, and those of the Spanish FA show an utter lack of respect for those women who should be treated as heroines for their achievements. Instead they are being dismissed as trouble makers.

Positive41 · 26/08/2023 10:06

He is a creep.

Why did he think she would want him kissing her on the lips? I don't care how long or short the kiss was. She didn't want it, didn't agree to it and kudos to her for standing up for herself. That to me is a role model for girls.

BCCoach · 26/08/2023 10:06

Zonder · 26/08/2023 10:02

At a juniour level there is a great deal of effort to treat boys and girls the same and feminism per se is avoided as a subject.
Do you have involvement in girls football at a junior level? I actually think we may live in different worlds.

OP has no involvement or understanding of sport at any level going on their statements.

DuncinToffee · 26/08/2023 10:07

here's some past antics of Rubiales

  • Rubiales is pending a trial since 3 years for Physically ABUSING a woman
  • He sided with Vilda when Vilda forced the Spanish Women's National Team to keep their doors unlocked until midnight
  • He kissed Jenni forcefully, Jenni released a video saying she DIDN'T like it
  • Rubiales then used the Spanish Federation to release a statement on behalf of Jenni that the kiss was "spontaneous" and Jenni had to confirm saying the statement was released without her knowledge and is false, and she believes Rubiales shouldn't go unpunished
Maddy70 · 26/08/2023 10:07

Also, it's different here (I live in Spain)
We greet people we barely know with a kiss on the cheek abd give a hug It's really common to greet people we do know with a kiss on the mouth.

This has been blown out of proportion and is making it a feminist agenda , taking away the glory of the winning team.