Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), caused a stir when he kissed Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the team’s World Cup celebration Sunday. Spain defeated England 1-0 for the country’s first Women’s World Cup title.

In the hours after the celebrations, Hermoso, Spain’s all-time leading goal scorer, downplayed the incident.

“It was a mutual, totally spontaneous gesture because of the huge joy of winning a World Cup,” she said in a statement to news agency EFE. “The ‘presi’ and I have a great relationship. … It was a natural gesture of affection and gratitude.”

Jenni Hermoso recreated Lionel Messi's World Cup dream 💭🏆 pic.twitter.com/QHeyQP2EQm

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 21, 2023

Hermoso’s remarks come amid widespread criticism over the incident. During Spain’s medal presentation, players approached Rubiales one by one. Rubiales hugged and kissed many of the players on the cheek. When Hermoso approached, he hugged her, and then grabbed her head and kissed her on the mouth.

He at first called those upset with the gesture “idiots,” but has changed his tune amid growing backlash. Spain’s minister for culture and sport, Miquel Iceta, for instance, described Rubiales’ kiss as “unacceptable.”

“I made a mistake, for sure,” Rubiales said in a video released to the media. “I have to accept it. In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened, happened, in a very spontaneous way. [There was] no bad faith from either side.

“Here we saw it as something natural and normal. But on the outside it has caused a stir, because people have felt hurt by it, so I have to apologize; there’s no alternative. I have to learn from this and understand that a president of an institution as important as the federation — above all in ceremonies and that kind of thing — should be more careful.”

Hermoso had previously said she “didn’t like” the kiss during an Instagram livestream on Sunday.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of turmoil within RFEF. Head coach Jorge Vilda selected only three of 15 players for the World Cup team who had expressed concerns with his leadership in a written letter to RFEF.

Law enforcement officers made two arrests after anonymous crowd members at five different WNBA games this week disrupted play by tossing green sex toys onto the court.

"It's ridiculous, it's dumb, it's stupid," LA Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said after one of the flying objects nearly hit visiting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during the teams' Tuesday matchup.

"It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is number one, respecting the game, all those things," she continued.

Each act appears to be the work of different individuals, with one teenage perpetrator reportedly calling it a "stupid prank that was trending on social media."

The first documented incident occurred during a July 29th game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream, with copycat incidents then cropping up in Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

In response, the WNBA released a statement last week, affirming that "The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans."

The league also promised immediate ejection and a one-year minimum ban for anyone who intentionally tosses anything onto a WNBA court, in addition to local arrests and prosecution.

The North Carolina Courage cut ties with head coach Sean Nahas on Wednesday, abruptly announcing the manager's firing ahead of the NWSL team's Friday night match against the Houston Dash.

The brief club announcement noted that the termination was "effective immediately."

"The North Carolina Courage remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters," the team said in a statement.

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Nahas has helmed the Courage since October 2021, first taking over as interim head coach following the firing of embattled ex-manager Paul Riley. The club elevated the now-47-year-old to permanent manager prior to the 2022 season.

Across his nearly four years in Cary, Nahas amassed an overall 36-35-19 record while leading the Courage to two NWSL Challenge Cup trophies and a pair of playoff berths.

A Thursday morning press conference with NC Courage sporting director Ceri Bowley and director of communications Jake Levy did not reveal any specificities surrounding Nahas's dismissal, with Bowley simply saying the decision was based on a "multitude of factors."

"The standards of this club are extremely high, and it was felt that there [were] reasons that we needed to make a change in order to uphold the standards that we expect of the North Carolina Courage," he added.

The Courage currently sit just outside the postseason cutoff line at No. 9 on the 2025 NWSL table.

Assistant coach Nathan Thackeray will lead the team as they travel to Houston to face the No. 12 Dash on Friday.

This year's US Open champions are cashing in, with the pro tennis season's final Grand Slam boosting its overall prize money by 20% — and upping the 2025 men's and women's singles winner's payout to a record $5 million each.

Total player compensation will rise to $90 million across all competitions, making the 2025 US Open the highest-paying tournament in tennis history, with its singles champions banking the biggest payday in the sport's history.

Finalists and semifinalists are also getting a bump, with this year's runners-up cashing $2.5 million checks while semifinalists will walk with $1.26 million each.

In addition, champions of the men's, women's, and mixed doubles competitions will each walk away with $1 million for the first time in US Open history.

In 2024, the New York City Slam's total purse weighed in at $75 million, with singles winners earning $3.6 million each — making this year's $5 million check a 39% raise.

Since then, 2024 US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka and others have spoken out about increasing both payments and transparency in pro tennis, with the sport's Top-20 ranked women and men reportedly co-signing a letter requesting "substantial" purse increases to all four Grand Slams this past April.

While both the French Open and Wimbledon increased this year's overall purses by 5% and 7%, respectively, the US Open "made a deliberate and concerted effort to ensure double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events for all players," according to the tournament's press release.

Notably, the 2025 Australian Open increased its overall prize pool by over 11%, though that boost came before the players' letter and not all winning categories saw double-digit percentage raises.

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury are keeping up with the Joneses, rattling off two straight wins against the No. 11 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Connecticut Sun to offset a series of midseason losses.

Phoenix's course-correction has revolved around a surging Alyssa Thomas, with veteran forward recording back-to-back triple-doubles this week.

Notably, this is the third time in her career that Thomas has hit two straight triple-doubles — a feat no other WNBA player has accomplished even once.

"AT's just legendary," Phoenix's Satou Sabally said of her star teammate. "You really have to be ready, and be in the game all the time with her. It keeps your brain on. She will make the right play."

The Mercury will have their work cut out for them on Thursday night, as they prepare to face a stepped-up opponent with revenge on the mind — and a directive to remain atop the WNBA standings:

• No. 3 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (Prime): The Sky snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 78-64 win over No. 10 Washington on Tuesday, but they'll have their hands full against a deep Atlanta side as injured Chicago starter Angel Reese watches from the sideline.

• No. 13 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Sparks host the Sun with a big opportunity ahead, as Wednesday's Golden State loss to Las Vegas opens the door for LA to climb the table — should they continue their winning ways.

• No. 5 Indiana Fever vs. No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, 10 PM ET (Prime): The Fever bested the Mercury just last week, but Phoenix will aim to flip the script as Indiana once again hits the court without injured star Caitlin Clark.