We asked people in Madrid what they thought of World Cup kiss row – their response was ‘eye-opening’

The fallout from that kiss at the World Cup winning ceremony has overshadowed Spain’s win and sparked a national debate.

The story has been hugely inflamed by the subsequent behaviour of Luis Rubiales, the man who planted the unwanted kiss and the recently suspended boss of Spanish football.

He’s declared himself the victim of a witch hunt and Spain’s FA threatened the player he kissed, Jenni Hermoso, with legal action for declaring the act non-consensual.

In Madrid, many people we spoke to think Mr Rubiales does not deserve the backlash he’s received.

In Plaza de Santa Ana, a busy square in the city centre where locals and visitors enjoy early evening drinks, a group of young women did not want to be identified and were reluctant to speak up on the story.

However they said the response to Mr Rubiales and the kiss has been overblown.

We approached another larger group of men and women and we found a similar opinion among them.

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Maria Gomez was among the group. She told me: “It is not appropriate that he [Rubiales] has done this, but as for the reaction, it does not seem to me, that the situation is that bad.”

Her 14-year-old son Alexander Herranz agrees. He thinks Rubiales should face some form of sanction but shouldn’t have to resign.

Their friend Vali Popa added: “I think it was exaggerated. It was just a moment of happiness and to celebrate it was nothing more than that.”

The only dissenting voice at the table was Astrid Guerra. When I asked her whether Rubiales should go, she gave me a one word answer: “Completely”.

By no means is my relatively brief spell in Plaza de Santa Ana a reliable representation of the sentiment of the Spanish people – and clearly there are many differing options – but it was eye-opening.

Clearly this is a divisive story and wherever it goes, people won’t be able to agree on what was the right action to take.