Spanish players came out in force in support of teammate Jenni Hermoso after national federation president Luis Rubiales refused to resign Friday in a defiant speech.

Rubiales has come under fire for his unsolicited kiss of Hermoso during Spain’s World Cup celebration on Aug. 20. While reports indicated he would resign, instead he doubled down, saying he would “fight to the end.” The Spanish government later started the legal proceedings necessary to suspend Rubiales.

After the speech, Hermoso’s World Cup teammates spoke out in condemnation of Rubiales and in solidarity with Hermoso. So did prominent members of “Las 15,” the group of Spanish players who protested against the national team environment ahead of the tournament.

Two-time reigning Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas called Rubiales’ refusal to step down from his post “unacceptable.”

“This is unacceptable. It’s over,” Alexia Putellas wrote in Spanish. “With you partner @Jennihermoso.”

Spain’s Irene Paredes also expressed her support for Hermoso, writing in Spanish: “Everyone saw what happened. The victim is you. I’m with you friend.”

Aitana Bonmatí, who won the tournament’s Golden Ball, wrote in Spanish: “There are limits that cannot be crossed and we cannot tolerate this. We are with you mate.”

Olga Carmona, who scored the game-winning goal, chimed in as well, posting a photo of herself and Hermoso embracing each other after the World Cup win.

Patri Guijarro, Mapi León and Clàudia Pina, all of whom were among “Las 15” and made themselves unavailable for World Cup selection, referenced the longstanding dispute between the players and the national federation.

“It’s over. With you @Jennihermoso,” Guijarro wrote in Spanish. “Unfortunate to reach this point to believe that the complaints from months ago were real.”

León shared similar sentiments, writing in Spanish: “It has not been necessary to spend a lot of time to see that what was demanded a few months ago was not a simple tantrum. The images speak for themselves, and I don’t think there is much more to add. It is unacceptable. For all the women, with you @Jennihermoso.”

So did Pina, who wrote in Spanish: “It is unfortunate that this situation had to come to pass and that many of us have had to give up our dreams to be heard.”

In Rubiales’ speech Friday, he reiterated that his kiss of Hermoso was “consensual,” but the 33-year-old midfielder has refuted that point. She issued a statement Wednesday in conjunction with the Spanish players’ union that said such actions “should never go unpunished.”

On the men’s side, several former Spain internationals criticized Rubiales as well. David de Gea noted that his “ears are bleeding,” while Iker Casillas called the speech a “total embarrassment.”

Real Betis player Borja Iglesias said that while wearing the Spanish national team jersey is “one of the greatest things that has happened to me in my career,” he would not wear it again until “things change and this type of act does not go unpunished.”

FIFPRO, the international players’ union, also issued a statement calling for “immediate disciplinary action” against Rubiales. FIFA opened an investigation against Rubiales on Thursday, and FIFPRO said it also has appealed to UEFA to request disciplinary proceedings.

“Any lack of action by authorities in addressing the conduct of Mr. Rubiales would send an entirely unacceptable and damaging message to the football industry and wider society,” the statement read.

Barcelona’s Irene Paredes has enjoyed getting to see the success of the club since its professionalization in 2015.

That success includes winning the Primera Division and the Spanish cup multiple times. The club also claimed its first-ever UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy last year to complete the treble for the first time in its history.

Barcelona has had a record-breaking run in the lead up to this year’s WCL final, selling out games at Camp Nou and setting the world record for women’s soccer attendance not once but twice.

The club also completed a perfect 30-win season in the Primera Division.

“It’s been a really fast development,” said Paredes, referencing the fact that the club was only professionalized seven years ago. “But it’s just the consequence of a lot of work, a lot of people with a lot of enthusiasm and ideas working together. They really wanted a female football club doing great things.”

As for selling out Camp Nou, the defender said she and her teammates were in awe over the turnout.

“It was amazing, we couldn’t understand and believe it,” she said. “When they put the tickets on sale, we didn’t expect to have all of those sales in two days. We were wondering if all of the people would come, and of course they did and they’ve been screaming and helping us to win the game against Real Madrid.

“The second time against Wolfsburg, it was also a surprise because it was another new record. People could say that it’s lucky, that they gave a lot of tickets [away], but no, most of the people paid for tickets. They came to cheer us on and that’s because they want to support us.

“I hope the rest of the world is looking to us to try to do the same.”

This season marks the second time in Paredes’ career that she’s made a Champions League final. She played for Paris Saint-Germain when that club finished as runner-up in 2017.

She knows how difficult it is to make it to this point, and to play against a club like Olympique Lyonnais, which has won seven WCL titles – including a record-breaking run of five from 2016-2020.

“If we win that final, knowing the importance that Lyon has in Europe and the world, of course it would be amazing,” she said. “But it’s not about winning [against] Lyon, it’s just about winning the second time in a row.

“This last year has been a lot of work, a lot of good results. Of course we want to win and it would add strength to keep fighting to become the best team in the world. If not, our season has been amazing and the club wants more and we are working for that.

“We don’t want to be the new Lyon. We just want to be the new champions.”

The Champions League final will kick off at 1 p.m. ET Saturday on DAZN’s YouTube channel.