England defender Lucy Bronze has praised the Spain players involved in the Luis Rubiales case after the former president of the Spanish football federation was found guilty of kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
On Thursday, Rubiales was ordered to pay a fine worth more than 10,000 euros after a Madrid court returned its verdict, with the incident overshadowing Spain's World Cup final celebrations after victory over England in 2023.
Speaking shortly before the verdict was reached, Bronze, who played with Hermoso and several other members of the Spain team that lifted the World Cup during her time with Barcelona , shared her support for what they had been through.
"I'm good friends with a lot of the players that have been involved in it and, knowing them, it's been incredible that these players have had to go through that," Bronze said. "Not just winning the World Cup, but they're in the court case, they're speaking out.
"It's incredibly brave, as individuals and as a team collectively. They're fighting for change, not just in that court case but in their federation. It's amazing. As an England team we've made changes, not for the same reasons, but we stand by them.
"We want them to get what they deserve and to just enjoy their football as well. I've been there and my last year at Barcelona, watching their ordeals after the World Cup, I think it was challenging for them. It would be nice for them to get back to their football and focusing on that because they are incredible people and unbelievable players as well."
Bronze, who has won 127 England caps, also stood by Millie Bright's comments on Wednesday after the Lionesses centre-back issued a reminder that players "don't deserve to be disrespected" following an incident with a Chelsea fan last month.
England's game against Portugal also follows a worrying incident for Emma Raducanu in Dubai, with the 22-year-old British tennis player was targeted by a man who "exhibited fixated behavior" before her match at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
(The FA via Getty Images)
Bronze said the Lionesses were "aware" of the importance of player safety as the women's game continues to grow and warned that there were "pitfalls" of the England team enjoying more of a spotlight.
"I think it's definitely something that players are aware of. I think as an England player we're probably quite fortunate that the FA protects us as well as they can, whether that is in person or on social media," Bronze said.
"It's definitely something we are aware of as players, as female players. The pitfall of the growth of the women's game is that even though it's getting bigger and we're being celebrated more, there are negative sides to it and this just happens to be that.
"As players, we just try to be as prepared as possible and like I say, the FA and our clubs try to give us as much support as possible to make sure we're as safe as we can be because I think that's the most important thing."
