Spain's Jenni Hermoso Explains RFEF President Luis Rubiales' Kiss amid Fan Criticism

Spain forward Jenni Hermoso has addressed the kiss she received from federation president Luis Rubiales while collecting her winner's medal following the 2023 Women's World Cup final.

When Hermoso was on the podium, Rubiales placed his hands on her head and kissed her on the lips, a moment that drew immediate criticism.

Hermoso attempted to downplay any controversy by telling Spanish radio station Cadena COPE (h/t ESPN FC's Alex Kirkland) it was "the emotion of the moment."

The 33-year-old remained diplomatic during an interview with Spanish news agency EFE.

"It was a mutual, totally spontaneous gesture because of the huge joy of winning a World Cup," she said (h/t Kirkland). "The 'presi' and I have a great relationship. His behavior with us has been a 10 [out of 10.] It was a natural gesture, of affection and gratitude... We've won a World Cup and we won't get away from what's important."

Initially, Rubiales may have done himself few favors with his reaction to the backlash, though.

He told COPE (h/t Jack Snape and Ashifa Kassam of the Guardian) the people calling him out were "idiots and stupid people."

However, Rubiales later apologized in a video, via ESPN FC's Alex Kirkland:

"I have to accept it. In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened, happened, in a very spontaneous way. [There was] no bad faith from either side."

"Here we saw it as something natural and normal. But on the outside it has caused a stir, because people have felt hurt by it, so I have to apologize, there's no alternative. I have to learn from this and understand that a president of an institution as important as the federation—above all in ceremonies and that kind of thing—should be more careful."

"There are also some things which I said where, within this context, I said it seemed like idiocy. On the inside, nobody had seen it as important, but on the outside they had. So I want to apologize to those people. I'm sure they'll have their reasons. I'm also saddened, because this is the biggest success in our history in women's football, the second World Cup that we've won, and this has affected the celebration."

For many, Rubiales' kiss wasn't an isolated moment and represented how the Spanish federation (RFEF) treated the women's national team leading up to the World Cup.

Jorge Vilda remained the coach despite 15 of his players resigning from the squad due to concerns over his approach. In a tweet after Spain beat England in Sunday's final, the team's official social media account seemed to revel in the fact that Vilda guided La Roja to a title despite the steady calls for him to step down or be ousted by the RFEF.

Plenty of fans thought Spain won in spite of Vilda rather than because of him, and becoming a world champion all but guarantees he'll continue to stick around for the time being.

Rubiales' kiss on Hermoso and his subsequent comments will only heighten concerns that the RFEF will—thanks to the results on the pitch—feel little need to resolve the underlying concerns that were laid out months ago.