Spanish women's national team star Jenni Hermoso has revealed that she received threats after being kissed by the president of the Spanish football federation Luis Rubiales without her consent at the Women's World Cup final.
This revelation came to light in an interview with Hermoso, which was published by Spanish GQ on November 6.
“I have had to assume the consequences of an act that I did not provoke, that I had not chosen,” she said. "I have received threats, and that is something you never get used to”, said Hermoso.
Hermoso refrained from providing details about the threats, only mentioning that she faced "difficult weeks" after finding herself at the centre of one of the worst crises in Spanish soccer.
After Spain's victory over England in the Women's World Cup final in Sydney in August, 2023 Hermoso received an unwelcome kiss on the lips from Rubiales during the awards ceremony. This triumph marked Spain's first women's soccer world title.
Hermoso said that the kiss was without her consent. Spanish state prosecutors subsequently charged Rubiales with sexual assault and coercion, alleging that he attempted to persuade Hermoso and her family to publicly downplay the incident. Rubiales eventually resigned from his position.
“Having to tell it over and over again was hurting me a lot,” she continued.
“But I know I had to let it go somehow. I keep working on it with the help of my psychologist, who I have been with for many years. For me, mental health is as important as training and as the hours that I have to sleep before getting onto the field. Thanks to her I feel strong and I'm not broken down or thinking about not wanting to play soccer anymore.”
Hermoso said she wants to be “remembered as someone who put Spain at the top but, above all, who tried to change mentalities.”
“Fortunately or unfortunately, this story happened, but I am going to learn to take advantage of it positively to fight for what I believe is good for society”, she concluded.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by AP)
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