WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Spain soccer kiss: Furore grows as prosecutors launch probe against federation chief
Spain’s High Court prosecutor on Monday opened a preliminary investigation into whether national soccer chief Luis Rubiales might have committed an act of sexual aggression when he grabbed player Jenni Hermoso and kissed her on the lips after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said the court had received several complaints but would launch a full inquiry only if Hermoso sought one. Hermoso has said she did not want to be kissed.
The move increased the pressure on Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), who was suspended by FIFA on Saturday amid a furore over the incident at the ceremony following Spain’s World Cup win in Sydney on Aug. 20.
Rubiales, 46, has refused to step down, saying the kiss – which took place in a globally watched live broadcast – was consensual. Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government say it was unwanted and demeaning.
Following a marathon meeting, the RFEF regional chiefs unanimously requested in a statement on Monday night the immediate resignation of Rubiales following the recent events and the “unacceptable behaviours” that have seriously damaged the image of Spanish football.
The situation has spiralled into a national row over women’s rights, macho behaviour and sexual abuse.
The Sports Administrative Court was due to decide whether to take up a case against Rubiales after an extraordinary meeting on Monday.
Acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz said that Rubiales’ defiance and the support from some federation members showed that macho behaviour was systemic in Spanish society.
“What footballer Jenni Hermoso experienced should never have happened,” Diaz said in a video statement prior to a meeting with the women’s players’ union.
In the evening, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Madrid at protests called by feminist groups in support of Hermoso and against Rubiales.
People called for his resignation, chanting: “It’s not a kiss, it is aggression.”
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that sexism was still a critical issue in sport and urged the Spanish authorities and government to deal “with this in a manner that respects the rights of all female athletes.”
“How difficult is it not to kiss somebody on the lips? I don’t see any indication that anything was consensual,” Dujarric added.
In a further twist, Rubiales’ mother locked herself inside a church and started a hunger strike to protest against her son’s treatment.
All 23 players on Spain’s cup-winning squad including Hermoso, as well as dozens of other squad members, said on Friday they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation. Their next match is away to Sweden in the Nations League on Sept. 22.
SPONTANEOUS?
At a federation meeting on Friday where he had been widely expected to step down, Rubiales refused to quit, seeking to defend his behaviour and calling the kiss “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual.”
RFEF has said Rubiales would defend himself legally to prove “his complete innocence.”
Diaz, who is also deputy prime minister in the acting Socialist government, on Monday met representatives of the women’s players’ union FUTPRO, which represents Hermoso, and the Association of Spanish Footballers.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, she condemned RFEF members who had applauded Rubiales’ non-resignation on Friday. Diaz called for victims of sexual harassment and violence to be better protected.
“On Friday we saw the worst of Spanish society, of the structural machismo of this country,” she said.
“They clapped and humiliated and made fun of a person they had the obligation to protect under the sports law and far from doing that, they inflicted more damage, more pain, more vexation.”
The coaches who applauded Rubiales were not fit to stay in their posts, she said.
Meanwhile in defence of Rubiales, his mother Angeles Bejar was holed up inside the church of Divina Pastora in the family’s hometown of Motril, southern Spain, along with her sister.
“She has gone on hunger strike, she does not want to leave the church,” Vanessa Ruiz, a cousin of Rubiales, told reporters outside the church.
Ruiz said the family wanted Hermoso to “tell the truth” that the kiss was not forced.
Bejar told EFE news agency her hunger strike would last “until a solution is found to the inhumane and bloody hunt they are carrying out against my son with something he does not deserve.”
Ruiz said Rubiales’ family was “suffering a lot for him, we don’t think that what’s happening is fair.”
“He has been judged ahead of time,” she said.
Hermoso has said she did not consent to the kiss and felt “vulnerable and the victim of an aggression.”
Gender issues are a prominent topic in Spain. Tens of thousands of women have taken part in street marches protesting against sexual abuse and violence in recent years, and the Socialist-led coalition government has reformed laws including around equal pay and abortion rights.
-Reuters
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Flamingos Set for Morocco 2025 as Nigeria’s U-17s Depart Abuja for Final World Cup Preparations
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will depart Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday, October 8, as they begin the final leg of preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup scheduled to take place in Morocco.
The team will travel aboard Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca, Morocco’s industrial and economic hub, where they will set up camp ahead of the tournament.
During their stay in Casablanca, the Flamingos will step up their build-up programme with two high-profile international friendlies — first against New Zealand on October 10, and then Paraguay on October 14.
Following their training camp, the team will move into the official FIFA hotel in Rabat on October 15, joining other participating nations as the countdown begins to the global showpiece.
Drawn in Group D, Nigeria will face Canada, France, and Samoa in what promises to be a competitive group. The Flamingos will begin their campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 19, before locking horns with France three days later.
Both matches will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Sale, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Nigerian time. Their final group match comes against Samoa on October 25, starting at 5 p.m., also in Sale.
Head Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side heads into the tournament brimming with confidence after a remarkable build-up.
The Flamingos have played 10 tune-up games, scoring an impressive 44 goals without conceding any, a record that highlights their attacking prowess and defensive discipline.
Olowookere has expressed optimism about his team’s readiness, noting that the squad’s balance and form give them belief they can surpass their quarter-final finish at the last edition in the Dominican Republic.
With a perfect preparation run and growing momentum, the Flamingos will be aiming to make history in Morocco and bring pride to Nigerian women’s football once again.
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Nigeria’s U17 Women’s National Team, the Flamingos, are rounding off their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a string of dominant performances that underscore their growing confidence and team chemistry.
In a remarkable build-up campaign, the Flamingos have played eight friendly matches in Abuja, winning all and maintaining a perfect defensive record. The team has scored 26 goals without conceding, a run that has lifted morale and heightened expectations ahead of their World Cup challenge.
Last week, the team showcased their attacking prowess with a convincing 3–0 victory over Abuja All-Stars.
Praise Agba opened the scoring from a loose ball, Olamide Olanrewaju doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Zainab Raji sealed the win with a thunderous strike shortly after the restart. Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu was outstanding between the sticks, producing several key saves to preserve another clean sheet.
Earlier, the Flamingos overcame a rain-disrupted clash against Josiah Academy, running out 2–0 winners courtesy of a Chisom Nwachukwu brace within the opening 10 minutes before the downpour forced an early end to proceedings.
The girls also recorded emphatic wins over Nazareth Angels (5–0), with Queen Joseph bagging a brace and goals from Praise Agba, Mariam Yahaya, and Chisom Nwachukwu; and Horvel Prime (5–0), where Joseph netted a first-half hat-trick, while captain Shakirat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan added one apiece.
Across all their tune-up matches, the Flamingos have demonstrated an impressive balance — clinical in attack, disciplined in midfield, and solid at the back — as they fine-tune for global competition.
Drawn in Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, Nigeria will depart for Morocco on October 8, aiming to carry their perfect form into the tournament, which runs from October 17 to November 8.
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Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, the Falconets, continued the country’s dominance over Rwanda on the international football stage by securing a 1–0 victory in Kigali on Sunday in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second-round qualifier.
The narrow win comes against the backdrop of two recent triumphs by the Super Eagles over Rwanda in the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, underlining Nigeria’s growing hold in encounters with the East Africans.
At the Kigali-Pele Stadium in Nyamirambo, both sides battled fiercely in a goalless first half, with chances at a premium. The breakthrough arrived in the 70th minute when Alaba Olabiyi bundled the ball home from a goalmouth scramble after a Falconets corner. The strike proved enough to hand Coach Moses Aduku a winning start in his first competitive game in charge of the team.
With the victory, the Falconets carry a slim but valuable advantage into the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, where they will be backed by home support as they push for a place in the next round of qualifiers.
The team’s delegation is expected back in Nigeria on Monday morning to begin preparations for the decisive clash.
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