Spain’s women’s soccer team says they won’t play until Luis Rubiales, the Spanish soccer federation president who kissed a player on the lips without her consent during the country’s World Cup victory is removed from his position.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s Association of Professional Soccer Players said in a translated statement Friday that the team “wants to express their firm and resounding condemnation” of Rubiales’ unsolicited kiss of\u00a0Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony. <\/p>\n

“It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event is managing to tarnish the greatest sporting success of Spanish women\u2019s football,” the association wrote<\/a> on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. <\/p>\n

“After everything that happened during the delivery of medals of the Women\u2019s World Cup, we want to state that all the players who sign this letter will not return to a call of the National Team if the current leaders continue,” the statement said.<\/p>\n

Rubiales was passing out gold medals to the team after its 1-0 victory Sunday over England when he kissed Hermoso. FIFA opened an investigation, saying Rubiales\u2019 actions \u201cmay constitute violations\u201d of its disciplinary code.<\/p>\n

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Luis Rubiales hugs Spanish soccer star Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup Final in Sydney on Aug. 20.<\/span>Noe Llamas \/ Sipa USA via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hermoso was heard telling teammates afterward in the locker room she “didn\u2019t like it” in a video posted on Instagram and YouTube by the newspaper El Mundo and other media outlets.<\/p>\n

Rubiales has been heavily criticized by government ministers and the media. Despite the uproar, he has refused to step down, telling an emergency general assembly of the federation “I won\u2019t resign” four times in quick succession and claimed he was a victim of a witch hunt by “false feminists.”<\/p>\n

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Spain\u2019s government has begun proceedings to suspend Rubiales.<\/p>\n
Hermoso said in a statement through the country’s soccer players association that she did not consent to the kiss. Soon after the incident, she was quoted as saying that the kiss was a \u201cmutual gesture\u201d and was a \u201cspontaneous\u201d moment after the team\u2019s win, according to a statement the Spanish soccer federation sent to the Spanish news agency EFE.<\/p>\n
But in the Friday statement from Spain’s soccer association, she vigorously denied the kiss was mutual and now suggests that statement was fabricated.<\/p>\n
“I want to clarify, that as seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me,” she said in Friday’s statement. “I do not tolerate that my word is questioned and much less that words are invented that I have not said.”<\/p>\n
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Minyvonne Burke\u00a0is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n