The non-consensual kiss to the player and winner of the World Cup, Jenni Hermoso, by the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, has reached the European Parliament today, where the vast majority of MEPs have condemned these events . Members of almost all groups and different nationalities have cried out against the “culture of impunity” and have also said that “it is over.” However, Vox has avoided an explicit complaint and has preferred to launch darts against the incumbent government and the rights of trans women in women’s sports.
The debate, promoted by the group of The Greens-European Free Alliance, at the request of the ERC MEP, Diana Riba, has been a cry against the prevailing machismo in women’s sport perpetuated for decades.
“As it is difficult to break structural violence and impunity, we must continue promoting equality in sport (…) the wage gap is unacceptable. The best player in the world, Alexia Putellas, earns in a year the same as many players on the men’s team earn in a month,” Riba criticized. The Catalan MEP called for a legislative procedure to be initiated “that forces sports entities such as the football federation, a public interest organization, to maintain gender equality in their decision-making bodies.” An initiative, inspired by the recently approved European law, which requires that there be 40% women on the boards of directors of listed companies.
“We have a long way to go so that sport is far from discrimination,” lamented the MEP of the Popular Party, Rosa Estaràs, who has described Rubiales’s attitude as “the tip of the iceberg” of a “sexist” dynamic and He has praised the players of the women’s team. “You have made history in sport, and also in the fight against discrimination.”
For her part, socialist Lina Gálvez believes that “it is no coincidence” that the wave of indignation occurred in Spain where “there is a high level of awareness,” where “that non-consensual kiss was felt as a collective humiliation.” . “We must guarantee that we advance in real equality, even in an area that has seen little of it, such as the world of sport,” she added.
The Ciudadanos MEP, Soraya Rodríguez, regretted that “the Spanish Soccer Team had to win a World Cup for the world to listen to them, after years of humiliating treatment and discrimination.” “If the political leaders had acted sooner, Rubiales would not have resigned, he would have been fired,” he added, and brought out in the plenary session a Spanish national team shirt signed by commissioners and MEPs to support the players, despite the fact that the rules of The European Parliament prevents posters or other objects from being shown.
The MEP of Catalonia in Comú, Ernest Urtasun, called Rubiales’ aggression “despicable”, and congratulated the players for the agreement reached this morning on the salary increase – he was the only one who made reference – “after a strike that “It has been an example for all of Europe,” although she regretted that it did not include, among other issues, maternity protection. “There is still a lot to do, but Jenni Hermoso has taught us all a lesson.”
The only voice that was out of tune in a debate of unequivocal support for the women’s soccer team was that of the leader of Vox in the European Parliament, Jorge Buxadé. He limited himself to describing the kiss to Jenni Hermoso as a “rude gesture,” and then referred to the entry of trans women into women’s sports. “Let it be clear that the greatest violence against women in women’s sports is allowing men who perceive themselves as women to take away medals, records and victories.” He also attacked the law of “Only yes means yes”, or attacks by foreigners on women (“When the perpetrators are foreigners, you remain silent because it does not fit into your sick moral scheme that the subject to be destroyed is the Western man.”) .
In the debate, despite having a large presence of Spanish MEPs, there were also other foreign members who referred to the Rubiales case. “All public opinion has come out in favor of the player, but how many more silent attacks are there against male and female athletes that do not come to light?” asked Laurence Farreng, from the Renew Europe group.
