Safeguarding expert lauds FIFA suspension of Spanish football boss

The world governing body has provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days pending disciplinary proceedings, following a controversial kiss on female player Jennifer Hermoso during the World Cup victory celebration. Walker argues that for far too long, higher-level officials have gotten away with a lot in the name of sports and culture.

"It's great to see that organisations are starting to take quick action and very clear action where the whole world could see what happened. There was a call worldwide for action to be taken, they really didn't have much choice," she told SABC Sport.

"[However], the decision's effectiveness will depend on the long-term outcomes following enquiries, but the swift action sends a clear message to officials in power that they can no longer do as they please, and the players were expected to accept whatever comes at them if they want to be part of national teams. 

"I think we're beginning to see the change in that, and FIFA's action sends a clear message that safeguarding needs to be taken seriously and players' health and well-being is important", said the director of Clathan, an organisation focusing on safeguarding athletes in sports.

While 11 members of the Spanish women's team technical staff have resigned, their FA has accused Hermoso of lying and threatened her with a lawsuit after she publicly denied consent to the kiss. Walker claims it is highly usual for sports organisations to intimidate players for speaking out. 

"It's unfortunately quite a common occurrence in sport, and it highlights two things:  The power imbalances within organisations in sport, but also grooming. So the grooming perpetrators throughout the organisation. If you look at this kind of situation the federation would be saying they are trying to protect the organisation, they are managing the risk, and are trying to prevent any comeback on it that they never took action previously. 

"If we look there, they'd been allegations of misconduct. Allegations that were ignored. And so, it’s often hard for athletes to speak out and get the outcomes they deserve because federations try and put the organisation first. We're definitely seeing a shift in that there are federations that are really trying to listen to the athletes to see what's going on in the ground, but unfortunately, they are still far in the minority." 

Walker, a trainer at Protective Behaviours, an abuse prevention training program that attempts to assist people of all ages in identifying when their safety is under threat, believes it is critical to teach people how to recognise when a trust relationship is transforming into an unsafe relationship.