Rubiales Kissed Jenni Hermoso Without Consent During World Cup Celebration

Rubiales and the kiss to Jenni Hermoso that the Federation orders to be deleted

A single second of celebration has ended up weighing more than the title itself. During the Women's World Cup festivities, Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), grabbed Jenni Hermoso's head and kissed her on the mouth. According to widespread reports, the footage also shows him touching her crotch during the celebration, in the presence of Queen Letizia and Princess Elena. This material has sparked a second controversy: the Federation, according to social media, is reportedly suing the videos for copyright to get them taken down.

Videos of the kiss and the copyright takedown

Initial reports focused not just on the kiss, but on the Federation’s efforts to remove the images from platforms and discourage sharing. The prevailing irony was that every removed video was reposted with greater enthusiasm. Some claimed they had saved the footage before it disappeared.

Here, the technical detail matters more than it appears. A copyright claim is an automatic, low-cost mechanism: it requires no judge, lawsuit, or significant expense, and effectively takes down content within hours. The lingering question is whether this tool was used to protect intellectual property or to cover up an incident. Any rights holder can request removal; proving legitimacy afterward is another matter. This asymmetry is likely the episode's true finding.

There is also a side effect no claim can prevent: deletion acts as an amplifier. Content removed from the official account reappears across hundreds of new accounts, shifting the conversation from the act itself to censorship. The attempt to silence a video becomes the reason to seek it out.

What Jenni Hermoso said and what peine with Rubiales's apology

According to reports, Jenni Hermoso stated in her statement that she was in shock and described the gesture as an unwanted kiss. This dismantles the most convenient argument: that no one complained and that the offended parties are others. Rubiales apologized. Far from calming the situation, the apology served as fuel—typical irony—and multiplied calls for his dismissal from the federation.

Was it a spontaneous kiss or reportable misconduct?

Two interpretations are on the table. One side reduces it to the euphoria of a historic title, arguing there is no reportable offense, that it was merely an misplaced congratulation, and that people are judging the narrative rather than the act. The other argues that a public official should not grab someone’s head to kiss them, especially with cameras present, because the perpetrator knows the recipient is unlikely to object in that context.

The point where both currents intersect is the power asymmetry. It is not the same as an embrace between equals as the gesture of a boss—whatever the profession—toward an employee at the most exposed minute of her career.

The underlying reproach: the role and behavior

Beyond the kiss, there is a complaint running through the entire issue: the way the federation president celebrates. Embraces and lifting players onto his shoulders as if they were family. Some view this as closeness; others see it as the behavior of someone who fails to distinguish his institutional role from that of any fan. The uncomfortable question is no longer what he did, but who controlled whom in that box.

Comparisons, double standards, and parallel controversies

As the issue went viral, comparisons emerged. Previous episodes of physical contact by public officials that generated no coverage were recalled, questions were raised about whether the reaction would have been the same with swapped protagonists, and some old sports cases were brought up. Most of these analogies do not withstand serious analysis. But they point to something true: the measuring stick moves depending on who is in front.

Women's football and the money that sustains it

Beneath the scandal lies another, older debate: how much women's football costs and who pays for it. Some argue that the national team has been promoted using public funds beyond its competitive weight, discriminating against other sports. This is an interested discussion, with a clear consequence: any scandal involving this team is now read in terms of management, not just anecdote.

An open issue, with the ball in the Federation's court

As of this discussion, Rubiales remained at the helm of the organization with the case unresolved. No confirmed dismissal, nor resolution regarding the copyright claims removing the videos. The issue stalls where almost all do: in the difference between what is reprehensible and what is sanctionable, and who has the authority to decide.

He apologized, maintained there was nothing serious, and the controversy remains. The videos, meanwhile, continue to reappear. Ultimately, the unsettling fact is not the kiss: it is that more is being said about the deletion than about the World Cup.