Spain’s Footballers’ Strike Is a Show of Solidarity Against a Creepy Boss
Spain’s footballers are on strike after soccer chief Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso without her consent. Rubiales claims he’s the victim of “fake” feminist outrage — but the players’ action is a show of unity against a boss abusing his power.
Soccer players Salma Paralluelo, Alexia Putellas, and Jennifer Hermoso during the tour of the Spanish national team bus on August 22, 2023, in Ibiza, Spain. (Francisco Guerra / Europa Press via Getty Images)
As Spain’s women’s soccer team lifted the World Cup, its players probably didn’t imagine that they were about to go on strike. Yet they launched the action last Friday after Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RSFF), publicly defended his conduct in “spontaneously” kissing player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without her consent. While Rubiales refused to resign, eighty-one players committed not to play for the national team under the current leadership, and Rubiales has now been suspended by FIFA, the international footballing authority.
The nonconsensual kiss has become a lightning rod for Spain’s debates about feminism — with right-wing commentators claiming that Hermoso is being manipulated by “political” forces. But as Ignacio Pato writes, this is also a labor dispute, about a male boss abusing his position of authority, and women standing together with their colleague.
Ten Lessons From the Rubiales Scandal
1. It’s not about desire; it’s about power.
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