Anish Vij
The Spanish Football Federation has accused Spain Women's World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso of 'lying' about the kiss with president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales encountered Hermoso after Spain beat England 1-0 to secure their first-ever win in the women's World Cup last week (20 August).
After Hermoso received her medal from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, she was seen chatting to Rubiales before he put his arms around her and planted a kiss on her lips.
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At the time, in a video released by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rubiales apologised and said: "We are facing a historic event, one of the happiest days in Spanish football.
“We are world champions, something for which we have been working hard and for which we feel proud.
"But there is also a fact that I have to regret.
“And that is all what happened between me and a player, with whom there is a magnificent relationship and where I was surely wrong.
"In a moment of maximum effusiveness without any bad intentions and no bad faith, it happened in a very spontaneous way.
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"Here we did not understand the controversy and there has been a commotion outside… that if there are people who have felt damaged because of this, I have to apologise and learn from this, there is no other option.
"I have to learn from this and understand that when I am the president of an institution as important as the Federation, I have to be more careful in ceremonies and this type of issue."
Of the incident, Hermoso said: "The situation left me in shock because of the context of the celebration, and with the time passed, and those initial feelings being able to sink, I feel the need to denounce this as I feel that no one, in no work space, sporting or social, should be a victim to this time of unconsensual behaviour.
"I felt vulnerable and a victim of aggression, an impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part. In short, I wasn’t respected."
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Well, Rubiales has since refused to resign, while insisting in his speech on Friday that the Hermoso kiss was 'spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual'.
The federation has since said that 'the evidence is conclusive' and that 'Mr President has not lied'.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said: "The RFEF and Mr President will demonstrate each of the lies that are spread either by someone on behalf of the player or, if applicable, by the player herself.
"The RFEF and the President, given the seriousness of the content of the press release from the Futpro union, will initiate the corresponding legal actions."
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Meanwhile, the Spanish government will push for the suspension of the under-fire president.
Victor Francos, head of the state-run National Sports Council, said: “We want this to be the ‘Me Too’ of Spanish football and that this means a change.
“I apologise to the players, because they didn’t deserve this week. Hopefully we can celebrate again when this storm passes.”
LADbible has contacted a representative of Jenni Hermoso for comment.