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A Spanish soccer official’s kiss unleashed fury, soul-searching over sexism, and a hunger strike
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FILE - President of Spain's soccer federation Luis Rubiales, stands with Spain's Women's World Cup soccer team after being received by Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left, at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. The kiss by Luis Rubiales has unleashed a storm of fury over gender equality that almost marred the unprecedented victory but now looks set to go down as a milestone in both Spanish soccer history but also in women's rights. - photo by AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, file
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Aug. 20 victory at the Women’s World Cup was a momentous occasion for the soccer-crazed country, but the joy on and off the field was soon sullied by the leader of the country’s soccer federation when he planted an unwanted kiss on the lips of a star player during the medal ceremony. The incident is fueling nationwide soul-searching about sexism in sports, and in society at large. The Spanish soccer scandal has even drawn in Rubiales’s mother, who defended him by launching a hunger strike.