The row over the Spanish football president's actions, which was seen by millions around the world, struck a chord with people globally after the country's top criminal court launched a preliminary investigation into whether his actions amounted to a crime of sexual assault.
Luis Rubiales denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly stated that the kiss was consensual. With the player, Jennifer Hermoso, stating that there was no consent, He has been insisting that he is the victim of what he describes as "social assassination".
The RFEF (the Royal Spanish Football Federation) originally questioned Hermoso’s claim and threatened legal action for what they described as "lies". Teresa Parker from Women's Aid, a charity that supports women and children facing abuse, says the way the incident has played out so far has resonated with many women worldwide, with her being quoted as saying: "This is exactly why many women do not come forward to report harassment or abuse.
"We are being asked to ignore what you can see on film, and to dismiss a woman when she says she didn't consent. It is an outrageous situation." Counter to that, others are continuing to defend Rubiales, with his mother having gone on hunger strike to defend her son.
Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, claimed: "What we are seeing here is powerful men closing ranks to protect one another with a deliberate and sustained campaign of gaslighting and victim-blaming on an international scale". To many people, the presence of video footage leaves little room for doubt about what happened.
Ms Bates said that other women will look at what happened at the World Cup final and ask "what possible chance do I have of being believed?".
"What we're seeing happening to Hermoso on the world stage is so devastatingly familiar for millions of women.” Many in Spain are standing by Hermoso, releasing statements, resigning and refusing to play, whilst regional leaders within the Spanish football federation have called on Rubiales to resign.
The RFEF stated that Rubiales would defend himself legally as a response to the world football governing body Fifa opting to provisionally suspend Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level.
