Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso reacts to Luis Rubiales' controversial kiss

A video has emerged showing footballer Jenni Hermoso and fellow Spain players on their team bus reacting to the controversial kiss that suspended Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales planted on her lips after the Women’s World Cup final.

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During what would appear to be the drive away from the stadium after Spain had beaten England to become world champions, Ms Hermoso is seen showing a social media meme based on an image of her embrace with RFEF president Mr Rubiales.

With a bottle of champagne in hand, Ms Hermoso is shown explaining to teammates how Mr Rubiales, “all excited, came to me and grabbed me like this”, demonstrating with her hands how he held her head for the kiss.

The video then shows how several players start chanting “kiss, kiss, kiss” and “presi, presi” (short for president) as Mr Rubiales himself walks along the aisle of the coach saying he feels embarrassed.

According to the digital newspaper El Español, Mr Rubiales has sent a copy of the video to Fifa as part of his defence after the international football organisation suspended him from his duties while it investigates his behaviour at the Sydney final.

Mr Rubiales said last Friday that the kiss had been consensual as he had asked Ms Hermoso if she agreed to “a peck” before kissing her on the mouth on the winners’ podium.

Another video taken in the dressing room after the final showed Ms Hermoso saying she had not liked the fact that Mr Rubiales had kissed her.

In her only official statement on the matter, Ms Hermoso denied that she had consented to the kiss and said that her initial reaction to the incident was one of “shock due to the context of a celebration”.

“With time and after delving deeper into my initial feelings, I feel the need to denounce this act because nobody in any working, sporting or social environment should be the victim of this kind of unconsented behaviour,” Mr Hermoso wrote on Friday.

“I felt vulnerable and the victim of an assault, an impulsive sexist act that was out of place and without any kind of consent on my part.”

RFEF’s regional chiefs have asked Mr Rubiales to resign his post and the association’s interim leadership has suspended his pay. Members of Spain’s government have also said Mr Rubiales should resign but he has so far refused to do so.

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