New Delhi: Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales is under pressure to step down after he kissed a player of the country’s World Cup-winning women’s team without her consent.
FIFA, the football’s apex governing body, has provisionally suspended him. The men’s national team condemned his conduct on 20 August.
Rubiales had kissed Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso. He is also in the eye of a storm for seemingly making a lewd gesture while celebrating the World Cup win.
Over 80 Spanish footballers, including the World Cup-winning team, have decided not to play until Rubiales and associated leaders leave their positions. Additionally, 11 staff members working in the Spanish women’s team have resigned in support of Hermoso.
On Saturday, Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez came out in support of the women footballers, saying that they “gave the world a lesson” by going on strike.
The Luis Rubiales controversy is one of the biggest scandals to hit football in recent times — with many lamenting the fact that his behaviour has tarnished the women’s historic first FIFA World Cup win.
The world of football — hands down one of the most popular sports in the world — has been jolted time to time by scandals and controversies. These include a doping scandal involving one of the greatest footballers ever, and the murder of a Colombian footballer after he scored a self-goal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
2006 Calciopoli scandal
The betting and match-fixing scandal rocked the Italian football landscape between 2004 and 2006, casting a shadow over Serie A and B. It was a complex affair involving multiple football clubs, their executives, prominent football organisations such as AIA, FIGC, and LNP, as well as referees and their assistants.
Intercepted phone conversations exposed a web of inappropriate connections between club officials and referee groups. These connections raised serious allegations of referee selections being orchestrated to unfairly favour certain teams.
The impact of Calciopoli was significant and far-reaching. Clubs like Juventus, Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan, and Reggina found themselves implicated in the scandal. Juventus lost their 2004-05 Serie A title, which was awarded to Inter Milan. Additionally, Juventus faced relegation to Serie B.
Even amid this turmoil, Italy defeated France in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final courtesy of a penalty shoot-out. Notably, eight players from Juventus were in action — five representing Italy and three donning the French jersey.
While several individuals faced legal repercussions initially, most were eventually acquitted by 2015 due to the statute of limitations, except for referee Massimo De Santis, who received a one-year sentence.
Diego Maradona & ephedrine, 1994
The Argentinian legend made an unceremonious exit after playing just two games at the 1994 World Cup for failing a drug test. Photos show Maradona being led by a nurse who held him by his hand after Argentina’s 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
Later, news spread that Maradona had tested positive for ‘ephedrine’, a banned weight-loss drug. The episode brought the curtains down for the football maestro who had participated in four World Cups by then.
Jim Trecker, a spokesperson for the 1994 World Cup, said the tournament’s good vibes wouldn’t be ruined by this issue. “It certainly is a pity when something off the field becomes bigger than on the field,” he said.
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FIFA ‘corruption’, 2015
The football’s governing body found itself in trouble, as fingers were pointed at the then FIFA president Sepp Blatter and several FIFA officials for alleged bribery. The main accusation was of bribery related to hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup to Russia and Qatar.
In May 2015, the US government said that seven FIFA leaders had taken $150 million in bribes over 20 years. The Swiss police arrested these seven people, who were staying at a hotel where FIFA was based.
But that controversy did not prevent Blatter from becoming the FIFA president for a fifth term. But just three days later, he quit, saying that FIFA needed big changes.
Andres Escobar murder, 1994
In the 1994 World Cup, Andres Escobar was part of the Colombian team that had stars like Carlos Valderrama and Faustino Asprilla. Nicknamed ‘The Gentleman’, the Colombian defender was a favourite of Atlético Nacional followers.
Misfortune befell him after he scored an own goal in a match against the US in the World Cup. The loss resulted in Colombia’s exit from the tournament.
Escobar was killed 10 days after the self-goal — shot six times while sitting in his car outside a nightclub in Medellin.
Nigeria age fraud, 2009
In 2009, African nations were suspected of fielding older players in youth tournaments. Nigeria had faced similar accusations earlier, particularly in their Under-17 World Cup wins in 1985, 1993, and 2007.
FIFA introduced MRI screening in 2009 to ascertain the true age of footballers. In 2016, as many as 26 of 60 members in Nigeria’s Under-17 side were found to have failed the age test.
Only two players from the team’s starting eleven were deemed eligible after the MRI screening, resulting in a significantly weakened team.
Frank Ribery, Karim Benzema, and Sidney Govou, 2010
On 12 April 2010, the French National Police’s anti-prostitution unit raided a late-night bar in Paris. This was after an anonymous tip-off about Abousofiane Moustaïd, also known as Abou Sofiane, who was suspected of being involved in procuring.
The operation led to the arrest of several sex workers, and four individuals were charged afterwards. It was later revealed that four members of the French football team — Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou, and Franck Ribéry — had visited the bar.
French-Algerian teenager Zahia Dehar, who was underage at that time, was questioned multiple times in April 2010. She testified that she had engaged in paid sexual activities with Ribéry, Benzema, and Govou. Dehar stated that she hadn’t informed her clients about her age and mentioned that Ribéry had flown her to Munich for his birthday celebration.
In 2011, prosecutors reportedly asked for the charges against the footballers to be dropped, saying they were unaware of Dehar’s age.
Ryan Giggs, 2011
Welsh footballer Ryan Giggs was caught having an affair with his sister-in-law Natasha Lever, the wife of his brother Rhodri Giggs. Natasha and Rhodri were together from 2003 to 2011.
Child sexual abuse, 2016
In mid-November 2016, there were allegations of young players being abused at Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City. In Northern Ireland and Scotland, similar allegations were raised involving former youth coaches.
Soon after the initial reports, the Football Association, Scottish Football Association, multiple football clubs, and UK Police started investigations. More than 350 alleged victims came forward within a month. By July 2018, around 300 suspects were identified by 849 alleged victims. By the end of 2021, legal action led to 16 men being charged with sexual abuse crimes.
Among them, 15 were tried, and 14 convicted, with most of them being sentenced to jail.
Benjamin Mendy, 2017
During the summer of 2017, Mendy made a significant move from Monaco to Manchester City, with a record transfer fee of £52 million. The defender won the English Premier League in his first year at the club.
But, in August 2021, Mendy was charged by Cheshire Constabulary with multiple counts of alleged rape and sexual assault. He was taken into custody, and Manchester City suspended him pending trial.
In July 2023, the French footballer was declared not guilty.
Mason Greenwood, 2022
The young English striker was arrested and charged with attempted rape after his ex-girlfriend accused him of rape and assault. Manchester United suspended Greenwood in January 2022 after the news broke out.
In February 2023, all the charges against Greenwood were dropped. Six months later, Manchester United confirmed that Greenwood would be leaving the English club. Greenwood has now joined Spanish football team Getafe on loan.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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