In August 2023, during the FIFA Women’s World cup an abrupt incident that finally sparked talks about gender inequality in sports. The president, at the time, of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) kissed Spanish player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without her consent. Rubiales stated that it was out of the act of joy, but Hermoso later stated that the kiss was not consensual, which then led to criticism and protests all across Spain and the world. This event really showed the true definition of what happened and in order to fight for gender equality in Spanish sports. It revealed structural issues of sexism, discrimination, and abuse of power towards women football players for years and years.
In fact, in previous years many female players have voiced concerns about said discrimination, the lack of involvement that they go through, and the mistreatment from officials only to be ignored. In 2022, fifteen players from Spain’s national team refused to play as long as their coach Jorfe Vilda was there. That’s because they disliked the toxic environment and the poor working conditions that were created within that federation. The RFEF never listened to their complaints, which served to further the idea that women’s football was inferior to men’s football. When Rubiales kissed Hermoso was a symbol of ongoing misogyny within the sport.
As the news became more widespread, protests to end Rubiales career started to arise across Spain including thousands of people, even athletes and political figures. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez even stated that such an attitude and behavior should not be tolerated in any professional setting as such. Later in 2023 after all of this pressure and news sources forcing Rubiales to leave, FIFA finally suspended him and Rubiales resigned in September of that year. Regarding Hermoso she took a legal stand point of this and filled Rubiales on charges of sexual assault. These charges turned to a real turning point on gender-based misconduct in sports.
Rubiales resignation was a win for gender equality the finish line for fairness in Spanish Women’s football is far from the finish line. La Liga F, Spain’s professional women’s football league pushed to improve conditions for female players. For example, at the start of this year an agreement was signed to help with these fairness acts such as childcare facilities at training or matches and better travel accommodations for players. The agreement established a minimum wage for female soccer players that was more similar with that of male players. Plus, it established regulations to prevent sexual harassment and other wrongdoing in professional football.
With these advancements, challenges were still there in women’s football, women still received less money and media coverage than men’s game, really limiting their opportunities for growth. The harassment of women in sports is a big issue, and many female athletes continue to experience sexism both on and off the field. The Rubiales and Hermoso case has demonstrated that more has to be done to change these perceptions of women in athletics.
There has been a lot of discussion about better gender equality in Spanish society, both at the sporting level and beyond, ever since that incident. Giving female athletes the respect, safety, and opportunities they deserve is the goal of the struggle for gender equality in football, not making sure that incidents like this never occur again. The 2023 World Cup demonstrated the ability to stick and fix changes when people stick together to fight unfairnesses. However, like in other areas, complete equality has not yet been achieved in Spanish football, and the fight calls for further action.
Works Cited
“Hermoso Files Legal Complaint over Rubiales Kiss.” BBC Sport, 6 Sept. 2023, www.bbc.com/sport/football/66732327.
Marsden, Sam. “Barça Defend Gender Equality Policies after Labour Agency Fine – ESPN.” ESPN.com, ESPN, 6 Mar. 2024, www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39665950/barca-defend-gender-equality-policies-labour. Accessed 10 May 2025.
The Guardian. “Latest News from around the World | the Guardian.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 2015, www.theguardian.com/world.