Luis Rubiales’s Actions Shed Light On Abusive Culture In Women’s Soccer

Women’s soccer, both domestic and abroad, has sustained serious cultural and player safety issues for decades. Instances of sexual abuse and harassment are not uncommon, and some of the top leaders in the sport have done little to promote change. As a result, the recent act of sexual abuse from Spain Soccer Federation President Luis Rubiales, who forcibly grabbed and kissed Spain player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the World Cup award ceremony, is unfortunately not as shocking for those who have been following previous investigations.

Many professional soccer players across the world have called for Rubiales to resign, or be removed from his current role, including Spain soccer stars Borja Iglesias and Hector Bellerin. The Spain Women’s Soccer team has refused to play until Rubiales is removed. United States player Alex Morgan has also expressed disgust regarding Rubiales’s behavior and the inaction by the Spanish Soccer Federation.

Morgan voiced her support for Hermoso and the Spanish players in a tweet stating, “I’m disgusted by the public actions of Luis Rubiales. I stand by Jenni Hermoso and the Spanish players. Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players’ lives but instead it’s overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation.” While this abuse was present for the world to see, it mimics what has been an issue for so long behind closed doors in the U.S. women’s soccer system.

Culture of Abuse

Over the years, multiple reports and allegations have shed light on the culture of abuse that sustains across U.S. women’s soccer. In 2022, an independent investigation led by Sally Yates, the former acting U.S. attorney general, examined the state of abuse in U.S. soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). After reviewing more than 200 player interviews, they uncovered a culture of rampant and unchecked abuse of players by coaches and team management.

Players described instances of sexual coercion, sustained harassment, and power dynamics across all levels of play that impacted their ability to safely report their experiences. According to Yates, “Abuse in the N.W.S.L. 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.”

Leadership ‘Gatekeeping’

Leadership shapes organizational culture. In sport, coaches and team executives are largely responsible for the inclusivity experienced by players, employees, and in some cases, fans. In soccer, obtaining head coach positions at the highest levels of play comes with added obstacles, which further insulates those at the top. Compared to other sports, soccer places a huge emphasis on coach education licensing and, as a result, maintains some of the most difficult avenues to ascend to coach leadership positions. Within the U.S. system, coach education licensing procedures are highly exclusionary, laden with economic, experience, and safety barriers to advancement.

While not entirely mandatory, U.S. soccer A-level and Pro-level licenses are seen as a necessity in order to move up the ranks. The process is expensive (currently the A-level license costs $3,500.00 and the Pro-level costs $10,000.00) and often requires a coach to already be employed by a collegiate or professional team to have the opportunity to complete the licensing process. Unfortunately, the licensing process maintains similar cultural downfalls for women who attempt to complete the courses.

According to Dr. Meredith Flaherty, professor of sport management at Bowling Green State University, an A-license holder and former professional soccer player, “The U.S. soccer federation coaching education system has long known that there were not only barriers to access and treatment within the licensing process, but cultural issues at the actual camp and licensing course where women were subjected to abuse and harassment.” In essence, the same mechanisms are often perpetuated in leadership spaces as well in order to sustain the current culture in women’s soccer.

As a result, with limited upward mobility, there is a tremendous amount of built-in ‘gatekeeping’ that can take place. Those individuals who are already in power are rarely, if ever, challenged. These practices often create highly insulated cultures, and those at the top either sustain the damaging practices or perpetuate them through their actions or unfortunate inactions. The Spanish Soccer Federation has an opportunity to officially denounce Rubiales’s act of sexual assault, committed for the world to see, and take a stand against the sustained cultural issues across women’s soccer.

Women’s soccer culture is in need of serious change — players and fans are fed up.