Then Lucy Blancer, who plays for the Barcelona women's soccer team in Spain, came in and Rubiales gave her a hug before kissing her face: .
Rubiales became uneasy when the Spanish players went on stage to accept a medal from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and then shook hands or hugged their guests on stage.
He touched almost all the players, hugged everyone and kissed him on the face often. When some players were grabbed by him they would be kissed several times. He would put his hand behind the player or grab them by the arm. However, every player would get the following warm hugs:
With some of the players, Rubiales was bigger, holding them on the ground, including when he held Teresa Abelera:
... Arsenia del Castillo, Oyhan Hernandez, Rocío Galvez and Irene Guerrero. In fact, Irene Guerrero was taken by him not once, but twice.
For the most part, Rubiales had to hug and touch bodies at first, and the hugs were reciprocated by the players, but not the kisses.
The pivotal moment in this story occurred when the Spanish players were halfway to the ground. Rubiales and Hermoso embraced for the first time, then put their arms around their shoulders and took their feet off the ground. It is not clear if Hermoso initiated the hug or if Rubiales jumped into her arms. TV photos from the time were cropped.
Elmoso later said, "Under no circumstances did I try to pick up the President." Rubiales countered, "It was Jenny (Elmoso) who took me."
In response, the WFA issued an unusual statement of 825 words, most of which consisted of El Mozo offering to hug Rubiales.
The statement said, "Ms. Jennifer Elmoso continues to hold the same position as the body of the chairperson, who has to go around the player's back because he has been taken by the player and has to keep his balance."
"It is clear from the tilt of Ms. Jennifer Elmoso's back that this was a movement she made at the time of the incident. There is no question about that."
A photo released by the Spanish Football Federation designed to show El Mozo picking up Rubiales (above)
The statement reads like forensic evidence in a trial.
We at TA were unable to verify the photos, but Elmoso said in her statement, "Under no circumstances did I attempt to pick up the President."
Then, unlike the rest of the players, Rubiales puts his hands on the back of Hermoso's head, and they chat for a few moments: .
Again, on this point, the parties dispute what they said.
According to Rubiales, "I told her, "Forget the penalty kick (when with 21 minutes left until the 90th minute, El Mozo's penalty kick was parried by Mary Earps and Spain failed to take a 2-0 lead)!" I asked her again, "One?" She said, "Okay."
But Elmoso categorically denied the claim. She said, "I would like to clarify that the conversation mentioned by Mr. Luis Rubiales never took place, and above all, the kissing was not consensual, as he said."
Then Rubiales pulled Elmoso's face to his own and kissed her firmly on the lips before smiling and patting her on the back.
"It was a spontaneous kiss." Lubiales added, "The mutual, pleasant, agreeable kind. That's the key." He still calls it a "consensual wave."
"I never agreed to let him kiss." El Mozo said, "I never say things that make people question me, let alone tolerate people inventing things I never said."
El Mozo smiled as she left, but we know from a statement she made later that she was very uncomfortable in the moment and that it was just a cover-up. When she spoke publicly about the kiss on instagramlive, the first thing she said was, "Uh...yeah, I didn't like it."
Shortly afterward, the WFA released a statement in which Hermoso said the kiss was consensual, but she later said the words were written by the FA.
Later, in his own personal statement, El Mozo clarified, "I was shocked considering the context of the celebration. As time passed and the initial feeling faded, I felt the need to condemn this. Because I don't think anyone should be a victim of this irrational behavior, whether it's in the workplace, in a sports venue or in a social place."
"I feel vulnerable now, a victim of intrusion, impulsivity and sexism. (That) was inappropriate and without any kind of consent. In short, I was treated with respect."
Earlier, in the VIP section of the stands, Rubiales celebrated Spain's victory by grabbing the crotch of his pants, even though Spain's Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter Sofia were sitting next to him.
As the celebration continued on the court, Rubiales slung Del Castillo slightly over her shoulder and then hugged her thigh:
Rubiales carries Spanish women's soccer player Del Castillo on his shoulders (DavidGray/AFPviaGettyImages)
He also kissed the goal scorer and captain Olga Karmona on the cheek:
The aftermath of Lubiales' behavior last Sunday is still swirling.
After accepting his suspension, the WFA doubled down on its efforts to defend him, issuing another compelling statement accusing Elmoso of lying and saying, "We must state that Ms. Jennifer Elmoso has lied in all of her statements about the President. We will seek the opportunity to prove this in due course."
"Facts are facts; no amount of distorted statements can change what happened. Consent was done under the conditions of the time. Later you may feel you made a mistake, but you can't change the reality."
Once again, El Mozo said in her statement, "I would like to clarify that as you can see from the photos, I do not agree with him giving me a kiss at any time. Of course, under no circumstances did I attempt to hug the President."
FIFA gave Rubiales a suspension and asked him and the WFA not to try to contact El Mozo.
This is an event that will continue to have serious consequences, another notable turning point.
