Machismo in the Spanish Women’s Super Cup? The FC Barcelona players hung themselves the champions medals

The women’s Super Cup champions in Spain, the members of the FC Barcelona women’s team, had to settle for hanging their gold medals around their necks after beating Real Sociedad 3-0.

The president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, presented the trophy to the captain of FC Barcelona, ​​Marta Torrejón, in the box of the stadium, and then arranged for the rest of the players to do a kind of self service with their medals on the grass.

The protocol followed at the award ceremony contrasts with the image of the men’s Spanish Super Cup, played in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the FC Barcelona men’s team beat Real Madrid 3-1. On that occasion, Rubiales hung the medals on the players of both teams along with a delegation from the RFEF.

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This contrast caused controversy on social networks, with many users accusing the governing body of Spanish football as macho. The RFEF responded by indicating that the award protocol had already been followed on previous occasions, such as in the 2021/2022 men’s Copa del Rey final between Betis and Valencia.

They also explained that the infrastructure of the stadium where the women’s Super Cup was played did not allow the players to go up to the box to receive their medals, nor did it allow the RFEF leaders to go down to the pitch safely.

Criticism over the format of awarding the medals, however, was not confined to social networks: the president of La Liga (Spain’s first division soccer championship), Javier Tebas, lashed out at Rubiales in Twitter: “This happens when the much-repeated values ​​are lip service, cosmetics… and you don’t believe in them,” said Tebas.

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The FC Barcelona women’s team continues their good run: they are leaders of the Spanish women’s first division with 42 points. They take 7 points to Levante, second in the standings with 35 points. (YO)