The Forced Kiss That Rattled Women's Football: FIFA, Gender and Governance in Crisis

On August 20, 2023, Spain’s women’s football team won the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the very first time. Their triumph was overshadowed by scandal when the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) forcibly kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony in front of a global audience, an act for which he was ultimately convicted of sexual assault. The case documents how entrenched governance models and power dynamics at both FIFA (football’s global governing body) and the RFEF persisted for decades, enabling a succession of domineering male leaders and a culture of impunity to emerge at international, national, and team-management levels.