EU top diplomat is happy Spain’s women ‘are learning to play football as well as men’

Top diplomat? More like the top un-diplomat.

Spanish EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday further fueled a sexism storm which has clouded Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup, saying he was happy our women “are learning to play football as well as men, and that in itself is already very good news.”

Borrell recalled Andrés Iniesta’s winning goal for the Spanish men’s team in the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa before making his ill-timed remark, which landed with a thud just days after Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales sparked a sexism outcry by giving victorious player Jenni Hermoso an unwanted kiss on the lips.

For Borrell, it was far from the first time the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs has put his foot firmly in his mouth.

Sunday’s World Cup final win over England was the first time the Spanish women’s team had lifted the global trophy.

Recriminations have followed Rubiales’ kiss, however, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemning the football president, the government demanding an urgent probe into his actions and Spanish media reporting that Hermoso had no part in an initial statement which exonerated Rubiales.

The Rubiales furor comes against the backdrop of a long-running feud between the Spanish football establishment and its women players, 15 of whom wrote letters last September telling the association they were quitting the national team over the federation’s approach to running it and amid a dispute with the coach Jorge Vilda.

While a handful eventually returned to the squad this year, some continued to strike and missed what became a triumphant World Cup campaign.