'#MeToo in sports': European football has fuelled 'atmosphere of sexism' for years

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00:00Former head of the Spanish Football Federation Luisa Rubiales goes on trial for the forced kiss

00:05he gave to Jennifer Hermoso moments after Spain won the 2023 Women's World Cup.

00:11As Hermoso and her teammates collected their medals,

00:14Rubiales clasped her head and planted a kiss on her lips.

00:17Rubiales faces one year in prison for that sexual assault and one and a half years

00:23for trying to get Hermosa to downplay the incident.

00:26Two other people are also accused of that latter crime.

00:28Hermosa is expected to take the stand in court.

00:59With protests across Spain denouncing a culture of machismo in society.

01:04He was also lambasted for clutching his crotch at the final whistle,

01:08several feet from the Spanish Queen and her daughter.

01:11The women's national team refused en masse to play if he continued in the job.

01:15After initial defiance, he resigned three weeks later

01:18and was suspended from all football-related activity by FIFA for three years.

01:23Rubiales was also accused, along with other figures in Spanish football,

01:27of putting pressure on Hermoso to publicly defend him.

01:31A Spanish court last year ruled there was enough evidence

01:34to prosecute the former football chief for coercion.

01:37Three others, including the team's then-coach Jorge Vilda, are also on trial.

01:42Several of Spain's World Cup winning team will testify,

01:45as will Rubiales himself, on February 12th.

01:49Prosecutors are seeking a prison term of two and a half years for Rubiales,

01:53though in Spain those who receive sentences of less than two years

01:57can usually avoid prison by paying damages.

02:28And we all know that in our lives this kind of situation

02:32potentially could arise and probably arise.

02:35As a former soccer player, which is in Europe a main world,

02:40we lived in this atmosphere of sexism,

02:43worse than because soccer was not for women,

02:46or that we are just tolerated.

02:48If you want to play, no other way but silence.

02:52And that's why I want to say thank you to Mr. Rubiales

02:55because he gave the world the proof of what is going on

02:59between men and women with sexual attacks,

03:02from the smallest to the highest.

03:04And the one he has done is the highest.

03:07What he did in a place where the camera gave the possibility

03:11to face in life, in life,

03:15he's on his own, he's on his own.

03:20Indeed, it's interesting to hear you say that.

03:22I hadn't thought about the context of it.

03:26It shocked me, the dates, this is all happening in 2023.

03:28But saying there that, of course,

03:30football has up to now predominantly been a man's world.

03:35There's the kiss itself, there's the coercion,

03:37the pressure after the kiss and from other coaches.

03:40Again, this has all happened in 2023, so so recently.

03:43Would you think that things have at least improved

03:47over the past number of years?

03:48Or do you think that this may be

03:49the watershed moment that was needed?

03:53Oh, personally, I didn't face this situation in my career.

03:59Only, only ordinary sex, but I knew that women

04:03intended to denounce sexual attacks

04:06on their national level associations,

04:09and they were not listened and protected.

04:10In France, recently, Sarah Bidule denounced sexual attacks

04:13thanks to her.

04:15The case of Janissa is really interesting

04:19because for me, it's kind of me too,

04:21in sports, not only in sports, but also in sports.

04:25And it's the fact that everybody all around the world

04:28could face in life that a man,

04:31which is a powerful man, can take a girl in his arm

04:36and kiss her on her lips.

04:38And that's not normal.

04:40If we face really the way, you know,

04:43Ribera has reacted, for him, he's not guilty.

04:48That's the case.

04:50For him, he has done something which is normal

04:53because the education, the world where he gives,

04:55the way where he was educated,

04:58make this situation as a normal situation.

05:02He has the power to do this.

05:04And for girls, for the first time,

05:06and thanks to Jennifer, she said she was not content.

05:09She said that she was aggressive.

05:11She said that she felt uncomfortable.

05:14And it's also the way we have to react

05:17all of us, all around the world.

05:19We have to denounce.

05:20We have to stop the silence.

05:22We have to accept that the behaviour of men

05:27are normal in this case.

05:29Nicole Abar, we'll have to leave it there.

05:31But thanks so much for joining us

05:32to give us your view on that situation.

05:35Very much appreciated.

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