Known for making great movies as well as having several sexual abuse allegations, director Woody Allen publicly defended Spanish Football Federation boss Luis Rubiales amidst the World Cup kiss controversy, stating that it was not like he murdered someone or burnt down a school.
In a statement to El Mundo media, the American filmmaker said “He wasn’t raping her. It was only a kiss and it was a friend. What’s wrong with that?”
Before the international premiere of “Stroke of Luck,” Allen’s 50th movie, which will play in Spanish theaters later this month after having its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the director said it seemed like, in the excitement of victory, “two people that knew each other hugged and he gave her a kiss.”
After Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso after the team won the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, the matter gained international attention as many denounced the act and called for accountability.
Allen’s statement got progressively worse as he relentlessly defended Rubiales, further stating “The first thing I thought was that they didn’t hide. He didn’t even kiss her in a dark alley. He wasn’t raping her. It was only a kiss and it was a friend. What’s wrong with that?”
The American director has a long history of sexual abuse allegations which is no secret as it has been revealed to the public on several occasions.
For instance, before the alleged abuse was reported to the authorities or made public, Allen had been receiving counseling from a child psychologist for suspected inappropriate behavior toward Dylan Farrow, his adopted daughter.
Dylan’s mother, Mia Farrow, had warned Allen’s babysitters not to ever leave Dylan and Allen alone.
When Dylan Farrow was seven years old, she claimed that Allen sexually molested her in the attic of Mia Farrow’s house in New York.
She further asserted that the director groomed her, made excessive physical contact with her, and once “buried” his head in her naked lap after taking off her underwear.
Allen and Mia Farrow were a very famous Hollywood couple. Mia had several adoptive children, one of whom, Soon-Yi Previn, ended up marrying Allen years later, making him drown in more controversies.
The two started dating when Allen was 56 and Previn was 21.
Back to his Al Mundo interview, Allen said he did not know if Hermoso turned away or told Rubiales not to kiss her.
“Whatever the case, it’s difficult to understand that a person can lose their job and be penalized in that way for giving someone a kiss. If it was inappropriate or too aggressive, you have to tell them clearly to not do that and he needs to apologize,” he added.
Making his stance clearer, Allen said “It’s not like he murdered someone. But they suspended him from his position and he could lose everything … He did something incorrect … but it wasn’t like he burnt a school down.”
When El Mundo journalist explained that Hermoso didn’t consent to the kiss, Allen said that she wasn’t threatened, as the kiss was public and the player wasn’t in Rubiales’s office with closed doors.
Allen lastly said that Hermoso “has every right to be clear that she does not want to [be kissed] and he should ask for forgiveness and assure that he will not do it again. And, with that, they should both move on.”