- Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso
- It happened during Spain's World Cup celebrations
- THIS is what Woody Allen thinks about it
The media storm that has followed Rubiales since has been of epic and unprecedented proportions in both the Spanish and international media. And the story has also caught the attention of other celebrities like director Woody Allen. According to 'The Independent', Allen has spoken out in defense of Rubiales. While many have called for him to resign, the controversial director has now argued that Rubiales should keep his job. And Allen knows a thing or two about these kinds of allegations himself!
Over the weekend, the 'Midnight in Paris' filmmaker was at the Venice Film Festival screening his 50th movie, 'Coup de Chance'. Although the movie was met with an ovation, his comments following it weren't quite so lauded.
After the successful screening, in an interview with Spanish-language publication 'El Mundo', the 87-year-old was asked about Rubiales, 46, kissing Hermoso, 33, after Spain beat England in the World Cup final. In response, Allen said that the football boss should apologise to Hermoso, who has said that the kiss was not consensual. However, Allen argued that Rubiales shouldn’t lose his job over what he called “just a kiss”.
"He wasn't raping her"
"The kiss on the soccer player was wrong, but it did not burn down a school. He has the duty to apologise and go ahead... They didn’t hide, nor did he kiss her in a dark alley. He wasn’t raping her, it was just a kiss and she was a friend. What’s wrong with that?"
Many have felt the same way, while countless others, not quite so much. Allen carried on saying, "In any case, it is difficult to understand that a person can lose their job and be penalised in that way for kissing someone."
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The wave of detractors has almost drowned Rubiales since the incident happened. He has also been criticized for grabbing his crotch in celebration during the match. At the time, he was just a few feet away from Spain’s Queen Letizia and her teenage daughter. And for many, Woody Allen should be the last person to comment on such allegations.
After all, he has been accused of sexual abuse in the past many times. Allen’s remarks come after he spoke in another recent interview about whether or not he feels he has been "cancelled". In recent years, the director’s name has been associated with allegations by Dylan Farrow, his adoptive daughter with Mia Farrow, who has accused him of molesting her as a child.
Although nothing has been proven in court, the stench of the allegations continue to follow Allen today, and his comments on the infamous World Cup kiss won't help him win any more fans. As far as how the public perceives him, this is what he recently told 'Variety' magazine:
"I don’t think about it. I don’t know what it means to be cancelled. I know that over the years everything has been the same for me. I make my movies. What has changed is the presentation of the films. I work and it’s the same routine for me. I write the script, raise the money, make the film, shoot it, edit it, it comes out. The difference is not is not from cancel culture. The difference is the way they present the films. That’s the big change."
