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The Spanish international, Dani Carvajal, appeared before the media after his controversial statements about Rubiales and Jenni Hermoso.
“I have decided not to give my opinion,” said Dani Carvajal at Wednesday’s press conference with the Spanish National Team. However, he did express his opinion. “At this media level, the impact is extremely high. We are in the spotlight for both good and bad. I hope we talk more about the achievements of women’s football. I won’t express my opinion. Everyone can do what they think is appropriate, and I prefer not to.”
His fear is evident: his opinion is unpopular, and he won’t explicitly share it with millions of people. This makes sense because some people believe that what is happening to Luis Rubiales is a ‘witch hunt.’ They say it in private, but no one does so in public, except his mother in a church. Even though Carvajal says he has no opinion, he made it quite clear. First on Tuesday on “Radioestadio” (“The authorities will have to determine whether Jenni Hermoso is a victim or not”), and later during his press conference.
“It’s clear everything I said. I defend the presumption of innocence, which is a constitutional right, and I adhere to that. I can’t victimize or blame anyone without a firm sentence,” answered the Spanish international to one of the many questions asked about the kiss that Rubiales took from Jenni Hermoso after the Women’s World Cup final. “The opinion I have of Rubiales is that he has an excellent professional approach. As a player, he has always helped us exceptionally with family matters, championships, and more, and I am not in a position to make or break things at the RFEF (Spanish Football Federation).”
Obviously, Dani feels the weight of his connection to the Federation president. He disguises his opinion because it is unpopular. The presumption of innocence is difficult to understand. Everyone saw what happened with Rubiales and Jenni during the award ceremony at the World Cup. Everyone saw how he touched himself inappropriately in a box in front of Queen Letizia, Princess Sofia, and other dignitaries. The scene is unpleasant in any context but reprehensible given his position.
Everyone heard Rubiales’ statements on Radio Marca and Cope, insulting everyone and reacting as he did during the initial hours. There is no presumption of innocence; it is not something that needs to be proven because the entire world saw it live and direct. Carvajal’s opinion is clear because he has seen everything he has seen, and it doesn’t seem sufficient for him to judge. Or at least to point it out. The presumption of innocence does not exist in this case because no one can say, “We’ll see if he kissed her.” And she already said there was no consent.
