29 August 2023 , 11:19
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England midfielder Ella Toone has said the Lionesses "stand by" Spain's Jenni Hermoso amid the Luis Rubiales World Cup kiss scandal.
Rubiales sparked uproar when he kissed Hermoso on the lips following the team's 1-0 victory against England in Australia. Hermoso has insisted the kiss was not consensual, with fans and players calling for the disgraced Spanish FA (RFEF) president to resign.
Rubiales was suspended by FIFA on Saturday and the RFEF have now demanded the 46-year-old step down from his post following an emergency meeting of the federation's territorial presidents. And Toone, who started for England against Spain at Stadium Australia, has vocalised the Lionesses' unequivocal support for Hermoso and the rest of her teammates.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the Manchester United star said: "Spain were unbelievable throughout the tournament. They’ve won the World Cup, which should be the main talking point, and yet it’s been overshadowed by something which happened after the game which isn’t acceptable and the Lionesses all stand by Jenni Hermoso."
When pressed on whether she believes Rubiales can continue as RFEF president, Toone added: "No. Something like that doesn’t just go away with a sorry - which he hasn’t said either.
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"For us, we want the right thing to be done. We don’t want things like this to be happening in women’s sport and unfortunately it i and it’s a talking point we shouldn't have to talk about.
"We should be talking about the success of the World Cup and how much we’ve inspired the nation and the next generation. And yet it's overshadowed by something that shouldn’t be happening so hopefully the right thing is done."
Rubiales has so far refused to resign (Noe Llamas/SPP/REX/Shutterstock)Toone's words come after the Lionesses released a collective statement condemning Rubiales' behaviour and the culture within the Spanish FA. "Unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organisation," the statement read.
"Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth. The behaviour of those who think they are invincible must not be tolerated and people shouldn’t need convincing to take action against any form of harassment. We all stand with you, Jenni Hermoso and all players of the Spanish team."
Reflecting on the statement, Toone said: "A couple of the leaders in the squad got together and brought a statement out that we all believed in as a team. We all wanted to put it out as a team to show our support and show solidarity and show that we are thinking of Jenni Hermoso and we want the right thing to be done."