“The changes that have taken place are not enough for players to feel like they are in a safe place, where women are respected, that supports women's football and where we can do our best”, says the note signed by 21 of the 23 players who were at the World Cup in August, published on social media by two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas.
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“Constant changes are necessary in the leadership positions” of the federation, still run by people Rubiales trusts, adds the statement, which was signed by a total of 39 players at the same time that the new coach of the women’s team, Montse Tomé, was due to announce the squad list for the Nations League games against Sweden and Switzerland.
According to federation sources, the list will no longer be released this Friday. A new date has not been announced.
To return to defending the team, the players are calling for the departure of the interim president, Pedro Rocha, and a “restructuring of the women's football organization chart” and the office of the president and general secretary.
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The announcement once again shook Spanish football, after some voices had been optimistic in recent days about the return of the national team's players, with the dismissal last week of coach Jorge Vilda, whose methodology had been criticized by the athletes, and the expected resignation de Rubiales, announced last Sunday.
Rubiales appears in court
The now former president of the RFEF was questioned this Friday as part of the investigation into the case opened for an alleged crime of “sexual assault”, resulting from the forced kiss he gave to player Jenni Hermoso on August 20, during the World Cup medal presentation. of the Feminine World, which generated a wave of indignation.
After his testimony, held behind closed doors, judge Francisco de Jorge imposed as a precautionary measure that Rubiales cannot come within 200 meters of Hermoso, who plays for Pachuca in Mexico, nor contact her during the investigation.
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According to sources close to the Spanish Public Ministry, the leader once again denied the lack of consent to the kiss.
In an interview with a British television station, Rubiales had already stated that it was “a mutual act”.
“It was not intentional. It had no sexual connotation of any kind, it was just a moment of happiness, the great joy of the moment,” she said. “My intentions were noble, 100% non-sexual.”
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This version does not match what Hermoso says, who filed a complaint last week and had indicated that she felt “vulnerable and the victim of an attack” when she received the kiss, which for her was “an impulsive, sexist act, out of context and without any type of consent.”
The player's lawyer, Carla Vall, repeated this Friday that “it was a non-consensual kiss” and highlighted that, “thanks to this video, the whole world, the whole country, was able to observe how there was no type of consent”.
Early stage
After the end of the investigation, which is just beginning, the judge in charge of the case will have to decide whether Rubiales will have to go to trial. As this is an investigation that is still in its initial phase, no decision is expected. curto deadline.
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Since a recent reform in the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that groups all types of sexual violence.
Penalties for a forced kiss can range from a fine to four years in prison, according to sources from the Public Ministry, which also includes an alleged crime of coercion.
In her testimony, Hermoso stated that “both she and her closest surroundings suffered constant and repeated pressure from Luis Rubiales and her professional surroundings to justify and approve the facts,” according to the complaint filed by the Public Ministry.
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