Josep Borrell is adding fuel to the flames of sexism in Spain that football president Luis Rubiales has ignited by kissing World Cup winner Gini Hermoso.
The European Union’s Spanish foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, on Wednesday reignited the storm of criticism over sexism that has clouded Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory, saying he was glad our women were “learning to play football like men, and that in itself.” It’s very good indeed.”
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Borrell recalled Andres Iniesta’s winning goal for Spain’s men’s team in the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa before making his ill-timed remark, which came just days after the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, sparked sexist protests with his He gave player Jenny Hermoso an unwanted kiss on the lips.
For Borrell, this was not the first time that he, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union, had put himself in an awkward position.
A long-running dispute between the Spanish football establishment and its players
Sunday’s World Cup Final victory over England marked the first time Spain’s women’s national team had lifted the World Cup.
But recriminations followed the Rubiales kiss, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denouncing the football president, demanding the government conduct an urgent investigation into his actions, and Spanish media reporting that Hermoso had no role in the initial statement that exonerated Rubiales.
The Rubiales uproar comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute between the Spanish football establishment and its players, as 15 of them wrote letters last September telling the federation that they would leave the national team because of the federation’s approach to managing it and amid a dispute with coach Jorge Vilda.
And while a few players eventually made it back into the squad this year, some continued to attack and missed out on their triumphant World Cup campaign.
2023-08-24 11:02:07
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