How Spanish Soccer Chief Luis Rubiales’ Actions Reflect Deeper Leadership Problems

Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales has been suspended by FIFA from all football-related activities for 90 days, with further investigations underway following his non-consensual kiss on World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso. Spanish authorities have also opened an investigation as he has refused to back down so far.

The latest development on Monday night saw the federation—which had gone extreme lengths to back Rubiales up to that point—put out a statement on behalf of the presidents of the regional federations calling for Rubiales’ resignation.

Timeline

Rubiales was filmed kissing Hermoso on the lips on the worldwide broadcast during the medal ceremony after the World Cup final. During an Instagram live broadcast from the dressing room, the player made it clear that she did not like it and did not consent to it.

This disgraceful behavior triggered widespread condemnation of Rubiales, including from the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. However, he continued to play down the issue and issued nothing more than a half-hearted apology video, while the federation continued to defend his actions through their official statements and even went as far as fabricating a statement on Hermoso’s behalf.

The RFEF called an emergency meeting on Friday, the 25th of August, where Rubiales was expected to announce his resignation. Instead, he doubled down on his self-defense and repeatedly shouted that he would not resign in his speech, to the approval of the majority in the room who applauded heartily. Among them were almost all of the regional federation presidents as well as Women’s National Team head coach Jorge Vilda and Men’s National Team head coach Luis de la Fuente.

Later that day, Hermoso released a statement of her own where she said, “I felt vulnerable and a victim of aggression, an impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part.”

She concluded her statement by stating that she would not play for the national team again until changes were made, a sentiment soon echoed by every single member of the World Cup winning squad. Altogether, the demand for changes was officially backed by 81 Spanish women’s footballers of the past and present, while the entirety of Vilda’s coaching staff announced their resignation and many others voiced their support.

Among them were four members of the Real Betis men’s team, including Spanish striker Borja Iglesias who also announced that he would boycott the national team until changes were implemented.

The federation initially continued their unbelievable mental gymnastics with a statement that accused Hermoso of lying among other things, although it was soon deleted. Their next move was to request UEFA to suspend them over governmental interference (which is not allowed per FIFA regulations) which would be a massive blow to Spanish football as a whole as their teams would be expelled from all international competitions, but that was declined as it was FIFA themselves who suspended Rubiales while the government acted within its legal framework.

In a surprising heel turn, the RFEF’s most recent statement published on Monday following another emergency meeting called for Rubiales’ resignation on behalf of the regional federations’ presidents.

Deep-Rooted Systemic Issues In The RFEF

The exact motivations and thought processes that went behind this u-turn are tough to call, but it is quite unlikely that everyone has had a sudden change of heart. As aforementioned, the overwhelming majority of the regional federation heads vehemently applauded Rubiales’ speech and publicly showed their support for him.

The fact that the RFEF was willing to go to such unthinkable lengths as effectively sabotaging the entirety of Spanish football shows that many if not most of its decision-makers are concerned about their own position and worried about what Rubiales’ downfall might mean for themselves. It appears that they tried to protect him as far as they could, but now they’re scrambling to try and protect themselves.

The harsh reality is that such issues of toxicity and abuse have long plagued Spanish football–particularly on the women’s side. The case of Rubiales is hardly something new, but rather the straw that broke the camel’s back which just so happened to be broadcast to the world.

While this is the strongest push-back made by the players enabled by the publicity afforded by their World Cup win and more importantly the fact that Rubiales was caught on the World Feed broadcast, how much meaningful change it will result in is still unclear. Currently, Rubiales alone is the target of multiple investigations, while his enablers remain in their positions.

The RFEF’s issues appear so deep-rooted that it seems only a complete organizational reset could be the solution, but whether or not we will see one is tough to call.

Worldwide Support

On a more positive note, one good thing this scandal has highlighted is the global camaraderie and unity seen in women’s soccer. Teams and players from all over the world have voiced their support for their Spanish compatriots’ cause, including the United States Women’s National Team, and defeated World Cup finalists England.

On a less positive note, perhaps a part of the reason behind this widespread understanding and support is that such problems have plagued and continue to plague women in soccer around the globe. For instance, among the World Cup participants, Zambia had to work with a head coach who is under a FIFA investigation over alleged sexual misconduct, while Haiti’s former federation president received a lifelong ban from FIFA for sexual harassment and abuse which was recently overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport due to insufficient evidence.

As we are seeing with the RFEF, there will be many obstacles and roadblocks along the way. Those who do not speak out also say something, such as UEFA, whose silence will have to be broken at some point since Rubiales is a vice president of that organization.

The fight for a better future for football is well and truly underway, but it could continue for quite a while.