Coluna Fictio Iuris
The third Law of Newton states that for every action, there is always an equal or opposite reaction, so every action has a reaction, and in the case of soccer, it is no exception. If not, just ask Luis Rubiales, the current President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, who, after excessively celebrating the victory of the women's national team in the 2023 Australia and New Zealand World Cup, has been accused of sexual misconduct. The truth is that, personally, Rubiales has never been a saint of my devotion, neither as a football player nor as an executive, but given the recent events, many might think I say this because of his latest scandals. Nevertheless, for those who are not followers of the beautiful game, scandals are nothing new for Rubiales, who has shown flashes - and many - of his desire for the spotlight since his days as a football player.
In any case, beyond his playing career, what is important to highlight now is the tremendous foolishness he displayed by giving an unwanted kiss on the mouth to the footballer Jennifer Hermoso. While initially it was repeatedly claimed that there was consent from the player, over the course of days, Hermoso herself denied having accepted the kiss, leading, first and foremost, to what would be an act of sexual abuse, and secondly, prompting a press conference from Rubiales in which he gave truly shameful explanations. As if that weren't enough, with the entire football world now focused on him for what was clearly an aggression towards Hermoso, Rubiales has clung to the presidency of Spanish football as if he were a koala, not only failing to acknowledge the disrespectfulness of his behavior but also attempting to create a wave of criticism towards Hermoso by calling her a liar through the institution he unfortunately presides over. This, by the way, didn't gain much traction as the images are available to anyone, as well as the statements from the Spanish player. But if we said that Rubiales has never been known for great intelligence as a footballer - extremely limited - or for missing the opportunity to shine, he has defiantly declared that he will not resign.
FIFA has already temporarily suspended him from participating in anything related to football, both nationally and internationally, for at least 90 days; a sanction expected to be extended if he continues to hold onto his refusal to resign. In any case, it's regrettable that more attention is being given to the Rubiales case than to the fact that the women's national team has won their first World Cup, and even more regrettable that a figure like Rubiales wants to keep denying the obvious. Given his ego and his nonexistent ability to recognize the reprehensibility of his actions, it wouldn't surprise me if in the coming days he appears before the media stating that he is football, as if he were a 21st-century Louis XIV.
It's not possible, not acceptable, not understandable, nor justifiable that Spanish sports authorities, such as the Higher Sports Council, do not take action in this matter, being more accomplices than actors in the incident involving Jennifer Hermoso. This can give the impression - at least to me - that, once again, they're waiting for others to make a move and then join the movement, claiming that these authorities always had a clear path to follow but were investigating to respect the presumption of innocence. Well, when Hermoso has already stated that she didn't give consent for the kiss and when it's clear that Rubiales grabbed the footballer's head to kiss her, the presumption of innocence has already eroded.
We'll see how everything ends, but sincerely, I hope that Rubiales resigns or is dismissed as soon as possible. And although he will likely continue to seek visibility due to his craving for the spotlight, I also hope that he fades away to make room for people who are much more qualified and much more respectful than he is.
Imagem Ilustrativa do Post: grey sky // Foto de: Anthony Easton // Sem alterações
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