Unwanted Kiss Prompts Spain to Change Soccer Culture
2023-09-04
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1Spain has spoken loudly through its government, politicians, soccer teams and ordinary citizens to condemn the leader of its soccer federation for kissing a player.
2Luis Rubiales kissed soccer player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth just after Spain defeated England to win the women's soccer World Cup in August.
3The 46-year-old Rubiales took the action during the awards ceremony following the game.
4Hermoso is one of the star players on Spain's team.
5The 33-year-old said she did not want or like the kiss.
6FIFA, the world soccer governing body, later suspended Rubiales for 90 days.
7The Spanish government is considering whether to push for his permanent removal from the job.
8Some Spanish women who grew up playing soccer said kisses and unwanted touches from male leaders were common.
9They want the behavior to change.
10Patricia Otero is 30. She is a high school teacher but still plays soccer in her free time.
11She said "we have seen that all our lives," when asked about Rubiales' actions.
12She said male coaches would often touch her and say "you are like a daughter to me."
13Otero said she was too young to know it was wrong.
14"You think it is normal," she said.
15People in Spain now say it is time to end sexism in soccer.
16They point to policies and actions that favor boys and men over women and girls in the sport.
17For example, Otero said she and her teammates had to raise money for their team and clean their own locker rooms.
18The boys did not have to do that.
19The Associated Press recently interviewed Spanish women working in soccer and other professions.
20Many said that Rubiales' behavior would have been ignored if the act had taken place 10 years earlier.
21Maria Soleto is president of Spain's Women's Foundation.
22She said Spanish society has undergone a seismic shift.
23At recent men's games in Spain's famous "La Liga," the country's top league, fans shouted repeatedly against Rubiales.
24They said he must leave his position. In Madrid, hundreds of people gathered in support of Hermoso.
25The campaign of support is being called "Se Acabo" in Spain.
26It means "this is over." The male players on Sevilla's La Liga team wore the term on their soccer shirts.
27The kiss may serve as a lesson for male leaders throughout the world. Lisa Banks is a civil rights and employment lawyer in Washington, D.C.
28She said men in sports now know "that an assault is an assault, even if it happens in a moment of jubilation."
29Although the early reactions in Spain seemed to support Rubiales, the general opinion is now against him.
30The women's soccer team said it will not play any other games if he keeps his job.
31Government lawyers are deciding whether to open a case against Rubiales for sexual aggression.
32Some Spanish soccer federation officials are calling for his resignation.
33Hermoso called the kiss "the final straw."
34She said the actions during the championship celebration "have been a part of our team's daily life for years."
35Even before the kiss, the players had protested their treatment by soccer officials.
36Almost a year ago, 15 Spanish players said they would no longer play for coach Jorge Vilda if things did not get better.
37Spain's soccer federation sided with Vilda and replaced most of the players.
38Other observers of women's sports hope the outcry over the kiss improves the financial conditions for women players.
39Some mid-level male soccer players earn close to $200,000 per year while the women only earn about $17,000.
40Pilar Calvo of Spain's Association of Women in Professional Sports said she has seen five times the number of protests over inequality in recent days.
41She said people have talked about inequality in prize money, poor training centers and a lack of financial support.
42Others, including Tona Is, a former player and coach, say they feel vindicated.
43She was a top player on Spain's under-17 team in 2018 and an assistant to Vilda until she was dismissed in 2020.
44She said she lost her job because she protested about bad behavior by male leaders.
45"Time has finally shown that we were right, that there have been inappropriate episodes inside the federation for years," she said.
46I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Spain has spoken loudly through its government, politicians, soccer teams and ordinary citizens to condemn the leader of its soccer federation for kissing a player. 2Luis Rubiales kissed soccer player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth just after Spain defeated England to win the women's soccer World Cup in August. 3The 46-year-old Rubiales took the action during the awards ceremony following the game. Hermoso is one of the star players on Spain's team. The 33-year-old said she did not want or like the kiss. 4FIFA, the world soccer governing body, later suspended Rubiales for 90 days. The Spanish government is considering whether to push for his permanent removal from the job. 5Some Spanish women who grew up playing soccer said kisses and unwanted touches from male leaders were common. They want the behavior to change. 6Patricia Otero is 30. She is a high school teacher but still plays soccer in her free time. She said "we have seen that all our lives," when asked about Rubiales' actions. 7She said male coaches would often touch her and say "you are like a daughter to me." Otero said she was too young to know it was wrong. "You think it is normal," she said. 8People in Spain now say it is time to end sexism in soccer. They point to policies and actions that favor boys and men over women and girls in the sport. For example, Otero said she and her teammates had to raise money for their team and clean their own locker rooms. The boys did not have to do that. 9The Associated Press recently interviewed Spanish women working in soccer and other professions. Many said that Rubiales' behavior would have been ignored if the act had taken place 10 years earlier. 10Maria Soleto is president of Spain's Women's Foundation. She said Spanish society has undergone a seismic shift. 11At recent men's games in Spain's famous "La Liga," the country's top league, fans shouted repeatedly against Rubiales. They said he must leave his position. In Madrid, hundreds of people gathered in support of Hermoso. 12The campaign of support is being called "Se Acabo" in Spain. It means "this is over." The male players on Sevilla's La Liga team wore the term on their soccer shirts. 13The kiss may serve as a lesson for male leaders throughout the world. Lisa Banks is a civil rights and employment lawyer in Washington, D.C. She said men in sports now know "that an assault is an assault, even if it happens in a moment of jubilation." 14Although the early reactions in Spain seemed to support Rubiales, the general opinion is now against him. The women's soccer team said it will not play any other games if he keeps his job. Government lawyers are deciding whether to open a case against Rubiales for sexual aggression. Some Spanish soccer federation officials are calling for his resignation. 15Hermoso called the kiss "the final straw." She said the actions during the championship celebration "have been a part of our team's daily life for years." 16Even before the kiss, the players had protested their treatment by soccer officials. Almost a year ago, 15 Spanish players said they would no longer play for coach Jorge Vilda if things did not get better. Spain's soccer federation sided with Vilda and replaced most of the players. 17Other observers of women's sports hope the outcry over the kiss improves the financial conditions for women players. Some mid-level male soccer players earn close to $200,000 per year while the women only earn about $17,000. 18Pilar Calvo of Spain's Association of Women in Professional Sports said she has seen five times the number of protests over inequality in recent days. 19She said people have talked about inequality in prize money, poor training centers and a lack of financial support. 20Others, including Tona Is, a former player and coach, say they feel vindicated. She was a top player on Spain's under-17 team in 2018 and an assistant to Vilda until she was dismissed in 2020. 21She said she lost her job because she protested about bad behavior by male leaders. 22"Time has finally shown that we were right, that there have been inappropriate episodes inside the federation for years," she said. 23I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver. 24Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. 25_________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27coach -n. a person who runs a sports team and helps players learn the game 28locker room -n. the place where a sports team dresses and keeps their regular clothing 29interview -n. a conversation between two people where one seeks information 30seismic -adj. having to do with the energy created when two parts of the earth move against each other, such as in an earthquake 31league -n. an organization, usually of sports teams, that creates games and a schedule and awards a winner or championship 32assault -n. a form of violence where one person attacks another 33jubilation -adj. a large amount of excitement 34final straw -expression - the last in a series of bad things to make someone very upset and unwilling to accept any more bad things 35inappropriate episode -n. an event or happening or action that is not socially permitted 36We want to hear from you. Do you think things will change in Spain for the soccer players?