An overwhelmed Jenni Hermoso has withdrawn from the public eye and gone into hiding, surrounded only by her family and closest friends, according to reports in Spain.
The World Cup star has been at the center of a media frenzy ever since Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation, kissed her on the lips as she went to collect her winner’s medal last Sunday.
In the intervening days, she was accused of lying by her own FA, calls that only increased after the release of a video of her laughing at a meme of the incident.
According to Marcthe 33-year-old has taken refuge in the Spanish capital among family and friends, while maintaining regular contact with her representatives, MKT Jersey, and the players association FUTPRO.
The report alleges union lawyers are wondering whether Hermoso should file a sexual assault complaint with Spain’s National Court, which has already opened an investigation into Rubiales.
Rubiales has been suspended for an initial 90 days by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee after his conduct during the final of the Women’s World Cup in which he kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips.
Hermoso appears to be showing off a meme on her phone comparing her being kissed by Rubiales to former Spain international Iker Casillas locking lips with reporter Sara Carbonero
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Players held up a sign reading “You are not alone” and “Jenni for you and for all of us” during a recent match between Barcelona and Club America
Hermoso has been advised not to take calls or engage in social media as she considers a return to her club side, Mexican side Pachuca.
The striker, whose last public appearance came last Saturday when she was seen in the box at the Wanda Alcala de Henares Sports Center to watch the Women’s Cup final, would like to return to the squad as soon as possible.
After missing the start of a Liga MX Femenil season that kicked off last month, Hermoso could feature as early as Pachuca’s next game against Mazatlan on September 5.
But that will depend somewhat on the consequences of the video that surfaced on Wednesday.
Rubiales sent FIFA a copy of newly released footage showing the women’s football team celebrating and joking about his infamous kiss.
Uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, by journalist Alvise Perez, the clip features Hermoso laughing at a meme of her being kissed by Rubiales.
It has now emerged that he sent the video to FIFA headquarters to try and clear his name. A source close to him told MailOnline: “This video is gold dust for Rubiales.
“All this time we’ve been telling Jenni to tell the truth. There was no sexual abuse. If so, why was she laughing and joking?
“She waited more than three days to file a complaint. If she was so offended, why not say something right away and joke about it with teammates?’
Meanwhile, Rubiales, who is serving a 90-day suspension from FIFA, broke his own cover to collect his mother from hospital after she fell ill on a hunger strike to support him.
Spanish media reported that Rubiales had personally come to pick up his mother in the early hours of Thursday morning and they had slipped out through a back door.
His mother had been hospitalized after her three-day hunger strike.
Former hairdresser Angeles Bejar, 72, was rushed to the victim Wednesday evening just minutes before she was due to give a press conference.
She had locked herself in the 300-year-old Divina Pastora church in Motril, near Malaga, for three days in protest of what she called the “witch hunt” against her son.
Hermoso’s rejection of Rubiales’ claims that the kiss was consensual led to his mother’s shocking decision to go on a hunger strike at her local church Monday morning following his provisional FIFA suspension and a wave of condemnation over his actions inside and out. outside the football world.
The mother of embattled Spanish FA chief Luis Rubiales has been released from hospital following a health crisis sparked by a three-day hunger strike at a church.
The church where Angeles Bejar was on hunger strike is located in the Rubiales family’s hometown of Motril, east of Malaga and south of Granada, on Spain’s southern coast.
She had said on Tuesday she was willing to die to seek justice, urging Jenni to “tell the truth” about the kiss that would seal the end of her son’s career.
Referring to the player from church on Tuesday night, she said, “I just want the truth to be told.
“She knows my son is very honest. If she tells the truth, everything will be all right.’
Referring to the World Cup kiss that led to the so-called ‘Kissgate’ scandal, she added: ‘It was an anecdote, as she said herself, and look how far it’s gone.
“She must have a conscience and act accordingly.
“My son is very worried and has asked me not to continue, to stop, but I will stay here until I drop and my body can continue.”