Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales has apologized for kissing Spanish soccer player Jennifer Hermoso after the 33-year-old star was awarded a gold medal for her team’s World Cup victory over England on Sunday. Rubiales embraced Hermoso on the podium before grabbing her head in his hands and kissing her on the lips.
Rubiales has faced widespread backlash for the incident, with many labeling his behavior as “unacceptable” and “simply disgusting.” Although he initially said those who condemned his inappropriate gesture are “idiots,” Rubiales later acknowledged the hurt he’s caused in a video statement uploaded Monday.
“I made a mistake, for sure,” he said. “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.”
Rubiales continued, “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.”