Kiss drives change
The World Cup scandal also has a good side for Bayern stars
December 26, 2023, 12:44 p.m
The forced kiss by Spain’s former association president Rubiales on world champion Jennifer Hermoso is the football scandal of the summer. The stars from FC Bayern, Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson, also see it positively: women’s self-confidence in sport is increasing.
According to world-class footballers Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson from FC Bayern Munich, the kissing scandal at the World Cup ultimately drove positive change in women’s football. “I always try to see things positively, even in a situation like this. Something has actually changed for the better for the Spanish national team since then. They started a fight against their association almost a year ago in which they wanted a change in culture towards more security and respect. They have now achieved that. I don’t know whether that would have been possible without this attack,” said Eriksson.
Her teammate and partner Harder said: “The fact that the change has taken place shows how far we have come in society, how we are moving in the right direction. We do something when something unacceptable happens. The Spanish players have their concerns , which was noticed worldwide, fought for and brought about change.”
National player Jennifer Hermoso was kissed on the mouth by then association president Luis Rubiales at the award ceremony after Spain’s World Cup triumph in August. Rubiales asserts that the kiss with Hermoso was consensual, but she denies this. The long-time official was subsequently banned for three years by the world association.
“A kiss like the one at this year’s World Cup might not have been a big deal ten years ago because times were different back then and the team might not have felt like they were in a position to openly address such a disgusting act and to criticize them,” said Eriksson. “That kiss may have felt like a big step backwards for women’s football at the time, but everything that happened afterward shows that we are becoming more and more confident and can really make our voices heard when we want to.”