Could this be one of the most significant actions by a group of players? The Rubiales - Spanish Women’s World Cup case
The Spanish women’s national football team’s thrilling victory against England in the 2023 World Cup final should have been a moment of triumph for Spanish football, its women’s national team, and women’s sport. However, this was sadly overshadowed by the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (“RFEF”), Luis Rubiales (“Rubiales”), kissing Spanish player, Jennifer Hermoso Fuentes (“Hermoso”), on the lips during the presentation of the trophy.
The row over Rubiales’ actions, which were seen by millions, has spilled well beyond Spain. In a series of remarkable and escalating events, RFEF, UEFA, FIFA, the Spanish Criminal court, the Spanish Players’ Union - FUTPRO, and Hermoso’s fellow players became involved in what has turned into a national row and series of resignations over women’s rights and sexual abuse.
This article considers the incident in brief and examines the actions taken by the various parties in this dispute, the issues involved, and the possible ramifications.
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- Tags: Athlete Welfare | FIFA | FIFA Disciplinary Regulations | FIFA Statutes | Football | Regulation & Governance | Safeguarding | Spain | Sport | UEFA | United Kingdom (UK)
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Written by
Samuel Cuthbert
Samuel is a Barrister practising from chambers at Outer Temple. Samuel specialises in sports litigation, with a focus on sports injury. He is particularly interested in head injuries in sport, having spoken and written widely on the subject.
David Winnie
David is partner and the head of sports at Burlingtons Legal LLP. His practice spans a wide range of transactional and regulatory areas of sports law.
David specialises in commercial and regulatory advice to clients in the sports and media sectors. His experience includes acting for athletes and rights holders on sponsorship matters. He also regularly advises on governance issues in sport and on player contracts, football transfers and image rights structures.
David has acted for clients in cases before the Football Association's (FA) Rule K Arbitration, the EFL Compensation Committee, FIFA's Football Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.
Prior to his career in law, David was a professional football player and coach at the highest levels. He played in Champions League, UEFA Cup and ECWC competitions and won the Scottish FA Cup as a player. David also represented his country at U21 level.
