humorouz

Spanish Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso laughs and jokes as she shows off a photo of the kiss Luis Rubiales gave her which days later she denounced as a ‘sexist act’ that left her vulnerable.

The footage of the 33-year-old on the team bus as the players prepared to leave the stadium in Sydney is set to become dynamite in the hands of suspended Spanish FA chief Rubiales as he seeks to defend himself against allegations he committed sexual aggression.

Hermoso was filmed laughing out loud as she showed off a screen grab on her mobile featuring the now-infamous kiss just over a week ago alongside a photo of former Spanish international Iker Casillas locking lips with reporter Sara Carbonero as she interviewed him live after the men’s team won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Another woman on the team bus was overheard laughing: ‘Like Iker and Sarah’ as Jenni continued to show off her phone.

And a second unidentified female said: ‘Long live the story’ as the player now being urged by Luis’ hunger-striking mum Angeles Bejar to tell the truth drank Cava straight from a bottle.

Spain’s football federation has previously shown their support for Luis Rubiales over the incident

Rubiales (right) has been banned by FIFA’s disciplinary committee for an initial 90 days following his conduct after the Women’s World Cup final, which saw him kiss Hermoso on the lips

Hermoso appears to show off a meme on her phone comparing being kissed by Rubiales with former Spanish international Iker Casillas locking lips with reporter Sara Carbonero

Jenni, who is being invited by state prosecutors to second a potential criminal prosecution of Rubiales over his controversial action, continued to grin as she responded: ‘Haven’t you seen it?’ before indicating how the kiss which has sparked the ‘Kissgate’ scandal occurred.

Many of Jenni’s 23 team-mates who have said they will refuse to play again for the national team until Rubiales is history, were then filmed singing ‘Beso, beso’ – Spanish for ‘Kiss, Kiss’ – as the suspended football chief got on the bus before telling the women jokingly: ‘Stop, you’re making me blush!’

The leaked footage, posted on Twitter account Alvise Perez, appeared alongside the hard-hitting message: ‘Let’s begin @Jennihermoso.

1) Why were you showing off with your teammates and posing as you laughed with the meme of your short kiss with Rubiales?

2) Why are all your team-mates who now say they’re scandalised shouting with you at Rubiales ‘Kiss’ on the bus after seeing the peck on the lips?

3) Why did you ask Rubiales jokingly for a kiss on the bus, and why did you laugh when he replied, ‘No, you’re making me blush?’

‘I don’t want you to ‘say the truth’ because Spain today knows it.

‘I want you to go to prison.’

Hermoso (right) recreates how she was hugged by Rubiales on the podium in Sydney

Empecemos, @Jennihermoso:

1. ¿Por qué presumías con tus compañeras y posabas entre risas con el meme de tu pico con Rubiales?

2. ¿Por qué todas tus compañeras que ahora se escandalizan gritaron contigo a Rubiales “que se besen” en el autobús tras ver el “pico”?

3. ¿Por qué le… pic.twitter.com/7HjjdpJVLc

— Alvise Pérez (@Alvise_Oficial)

The moment that Rubiales (right) kissed Hermoso (left) after Spain had won the Women’s World Cup

Some of Hermoso’s team-mates begin to chant ‘beso’ in Spanish which is translated to ‘kiss’

Rubiales is later welcomed onto the team coach to chants of ‘president’ by players

The tweet finished with hashtags including one that said in Spanish: ‘Take note state prosecution service’ and another that said: ‘Confess Jenni.’

As well as putting the ball firmly back in the Spanish player’s court, the video footage is also likely to be of great use to Rubiales in defending himself against any future prosecution.

Hermoso claimed in a statement released last week, days after the team bus footage now emerging was taken, in which she denied Rubiales’ claim the post-match kiss was agreed during a brief conversion between the pair: ‘I felt vulnerable and a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part.

‘I want to make it clear that at no time did the conversation to which Mr. Luis Rubiales refers to in his address take place, and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual. I want to reiterate as I did before that I did not like this incident.’

Hermoso released a lengthy statement on social media in response to the incident

Rubiales’ mum Angeles Bejar is nearly 48 hours into a hunger strike at a church in Motril near Malaga where her son grew up.

She has demanded Jenni tell the truth amid accusations she has become a pawn in a battle between Rubiales and enemies who were rooting to oust him over earlier controversies and seized on the kiss to try to destroy him.

Speaking from the inside of the church last night where she began her surprise protest on Monday morning the 72-year-old said, referring to Jenni: ‘I just want the truth to be told.

‘She knows my son is very honest. If she tells the truth everything will be fixed.’

Speaking of the World Cup kiss that has led to the so-called ‘Kissgate’ scandal, she added: ‘It was an anecdote, as she herself said, and look how far it’s gone.

‘She should have a conscience and act according to it.

‘My son is very worried and has asked me not to continue, to stop, but I will be here until I drop and my body can continue.’

Other footage has shown  Rubiales lifting his own weight off the ground (left) and into the arms of Jenni Hermoso, which goes against claims by the Spanish FA that she picked him up

A cousin of Luis, speaking on Monday outside the church as she also referenced Hermoso, said: ‘ ‘What’s not normal is that this woman is overjoyed because she and her team have won the World Cup and three days later she’s saying she’s been sexually assaulted.

‘Are we all mad! Luis knows his mum is locked inside the church and he’s suffering because of it.

‘But his mum know what’s he like and so we do and we all know what he’s like. If he was like the person he’s being portrayed as, we’d be the first to stitch up our mouths and bow our heads.

‘But when something’s been said that’s not true, you cannot keep quiet in the face of an injustice.

THE SPANISH FA’S ATTEMPT TO BLAME HERMOSO FOR ‘KISS-GATE’

Photograph 1

The RFEF argue that Rubiales’ arms are only loosely on Hermoso’s back in this photo, meaning he could ‘exert no force’, and that his heels are raised

 The above image shows Rubiales smiling as he embraces Hermoso, with one hand on top of her head and the other on her back. 

In explanation, the RFEF states: ‘Ms. Jennifer Hermoso, with her arms, grabs the RFEF President from behind, while Mr. President has his arms loose on the upper part of the player’s back. Therefore, no force could exert.

‘You can see how Mr. President has the heels of his feet raised slightly.’ 

 Photograph 2

Here, the RFEF maintains that Hermoso keeps her arms around the president and that his heels are raised. Only one of Hermoso’s arms and one of Rubiales’ feet are visible

 In the second image, Rubiales’ upper arm has moved lower down Hermoso’s head.

The RFEF explains: ‘Ms. Jennifer Hermoso keeps her arms around Mr. President’s back. Mr. President keeps his arms on top of the player’s body.

‘It is verified how Mr. President already has much higher heels.’

Only one of Rubiales’ feet is visible in the photo.

 Photograph 3

The RFEF writes that ‘Mr. President’s feet are clearly and manifestly lifted off the ground as a result of the action of force carried out by the player’

 This third image, with Rubiales lifted off the ground, is where the RFEF’s statement ramps up in vehemence and attributes responsibility to Hermoso.

The RFEF states: ‘Mrs. Jennifer Hermoso continues to keep her arms in the same position as the president’s body while the president must bring his arms closer to the player’s back as a result of having lifted him off the ground and to maintain balance.

‘The inclination of the back of Mrs. Jennifer Hermoso that occurs when she is performing an action of force is indisputable.

‘Mr. President’s feet are clearly and manifestly lifted off the ground as a result of the action of force carried out by the player.’

 Photograph 4

The RFEF maintains its stance in the final photo, where Rubiales is still lifted off the ground

For this final photo provided, the RFEF explains: ‘Mrs. Jennifer Hermoso continues to keep her arms in the same position as the president’s body while the president must continue to hold on to the players so as not to fall and it is evident that the arching of the player’s body corresponds to the lifting force of Mr. President you are performing.

‘The feet of Mr. President are ostensibly raised off the ground as a result of the player’s action.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

Goalie Carson Bjarnason lifted up his home town of Carberry, Man.. when he became its first player drafted by the NHL. Read more.

Humor is subjective, and not every brand lends itself to comedy. But advertisers that can make people laugh are poised to win and keep customers.

“Even brands that aren’t ‘traditionally’ funny do have an opportunity to be more playful and to amuse,” said Stephen Loguidice, SVP and head of partnerships and advertising at Hartbeat, a media venture owned by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.

Hartbeat develops, produces and distributes comedy shows, films and podcasts in partnership with brands such as Sam’s Club, Old Spice, Samsung, Pepsi and P&G.

The vast majority (72%) of people say they would choose brands that use humor effectively over their competitors, while 80% say they’d recommend a brand they find funny to their friends and family, according to Oracle Advertising.

The challenge is helping brands “find their funny” while also standing out from the deluge of branded content, not to mention all the non-sponsored content choices people have across streaming services and social platforms, Loguidice said.

“Around 2016 or 2017, there were a lot of brands that said, ‘Hey, I’m going to create an internal content studio and it’ll be great; we’ll get all of this attention,’” Loguidice said. “But the truth is it’s hard to do, especially because brands also need to get reach.”

Stand-up for scale

Scale is a big part of Hartbeat’s pitch to advertisers.

The company was created last year after two Hart-backed entertainment companies merged: Laugh Out Loud Networks, a subscription comedy streaming service launched in partnership with Lionsgate in 2017, and Hartbeat Productions, a comedy content production studio for TV, film and audio founded in 2009.

Laugh Out Loud content is available across a bunch of different OTT services, including Peacock, Pluto TV, Roku, Tubi, Vizio, Crackle and Plex. The newly formed Hartbeat also produces live experiences, including comedy shows, and has a media division that handles distribution deals on behalf of the brands it works with.

Altogether, Hartbeat’s potential audience reach is roughly 280 million people in the US across all of its channels.

The company creates different distribution and targeting plans depending on the brand, the audience the brand wants to resonate with and the content itself.

In some cases, that’ll be content specifically for TikTok or another social platform. And in others, it might be a more involved production with distribution across multiple streaming platforms, like the “Cold as Balls” series that Hartbeat developed for Old Spice. Each episode features Kevin Hart interviewing famous athletes while they both sit in a freezing ice bath. (There’s eight seasons of this stuff!)

“The proliferation of digital and streaming, the democratization of content creation, the fact that pretty much every consumer is a creator – all of that has converged,” Randolph said. “And it means that we as content creators, marketers and distributors need to be thoughtful about getting our stories in front of the right folks while also making sure they’re entertained.”

Merry engagement

Because the fight for attention is real.

And there’s no reality in which people will willingly watch what are essentially advertisements if they aren’t also entertaining.

“The bar for what counts as entertainment doesn’t lessen or diminish because you’re telling a brand story,” Randolph said. “If anything, it’s a higher cliff to climb.”

Last holiday season, Walmart-owned Sam’s Club worked with its then-agency of record VMLY&R and with Hartbeat to produce a Christmas-themed two-minute trailer for a fictitious Hallmark Channel-esque movie called “Merry Like This,” starring Kevin Hart and “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” star Marcus Scribner.

Scribner plays Hart’s daughter’s boyfriend, who’s planning to propose. Hart doesn’t like the boyfriend, which is made abundantly clear on a food and party-supplies run to Sam’s Club. But he wins Hart’s favor in part by introducing him to the Sam’s Club mobile payment service so they don’t have to wait in line to check out.

The trailer was screened in 1,700 theaters across the US, including AMC, Regal, Skylight and Cinemark in November and December. Different cuts were also distributed across social channels backed by paid media.

The cinema setting added so much verisimilitude that some people actually thought the trailer was previewing a real movie.

“Viewers connected with it to the point that I had people asking me when the movie was coming out and where they could watch it, like whether it would be on Netflix,” said Ciara Anfield, SVP and chief member and marketing officer of Sam’s Club. “The best branded content takes people out of the mindset that someone is trying to sell them something.”

Performance is no joke

Although, someone is trying to sell them something.

Branded content may not always lead directly to a sale, but there are associated KPIs and performance goals that advertisers have to measure.

Sam’s Club tracked engagement, likability, audience sentiment, shares and views, working with TV ad measurement and analytics company iSpot.tv to see how the holiday spot performed in comparison to broadcast TV spots from other retailers.

The trailer fell into the top percentile, based on iSpot’s rankings, for likability and rated highly on attributes like “curiosity,” which represents a desire to learn more about a brand.

Although it’s difficult to say exactly what the impact was on Sam’s Club’s Q4 2022 results – it was a good quarter for Sam’s Club, with an uptick in both sales and membership sign-ups – Anfield attributes at least some of the boost to the brand’s holiday marketing push.

“There are a lot of factors that go into the strength we see in the business in any given quarter,” Anfield said. “But we know that a campaign like this adds value and contributes to our overall success.”

“Would you like the chance to look ridiculous in five years’ time?”.

That was more or less the question we asked our reporters as we invited them to get out their crystal balls and come up with a possible England XI to take on the best of the continent at a home European Championship in the summer of 2028.

Others have tried similar things in the past and, inevitably, been made to look pretty silly. This 2008 attempt predicted Robbie Threlfall, Gavin Hoyte, Michael Johnson and Jose Baxter were the future of English football.

So, safe in the knowledge this will lead to similar levels of embarrassment when these teams are posted on social media (with no context, obviously) in five years, our writers have been coerced into happily submitted the XIs they think could lead England to glory.

Carl Anka

Start with Jude Bellingham and figure out the rest later was my approach to this.

Declan Rice seems like a sensible successor to Harry Kane as captain, and one can envision a fight between Morgan Gibbs-White, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Jacob Ramsey for the extra midfield spot in the seasons to come. I elect Jones here, for his nous when in possession for Liverpool. Angel Gomes will be an astute bench option.

The England Right-Back Wars™ will be won by… Tino Livramento, who spends the next few years learning the finer points of the position from Kieran Trippier and leaps ahead of Max Aarons, while Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deployment continues to be too finickety. Reece James’ current injury issues are a concern, as are Ben Chilwell’s. That’s why I say the left-back slot will go to… 18-year-old Calum Scanlon, who could make his senior Liverpool debut this season.

Eddie Nketiah politely declined Ghana call-ups for years, believing he would be the one to succeed Kane. He backed himself, so I will too. Something tells me Aaron Ramsdale won’t be an Arsenal player by 2028, but he’ll be a stellar England goalkeeper when the time comes.

Graham Potter to be head coach, assisted by James Milner and Adam Lallana.

Tim Spiers

This is Jason Tindall’s primary issue as he sets about trying to end 62 years of hurt at Euro 2028. Tindall, temporarily in charge of the England team after a tabloid sting does for Eddie Howe on the eve of the tournament, is hamstrung by the absence of Al Hilal’s injury-prone midfielder Jude Bellingham, whose body has given up on him after playing 420 matches in the previous six seasons.

Arsenal defender John Stones, one of several players who deserted Manchester City after their demotion from the Premier League to League One for alleged financial irregularities, captains the side.

Tindall persuades warhorse Kane, who one month earlier broke the Premier League goalscoring record while playing for Birmingham City under manager Tom Brady, to come out of international retirement. Meta TV pundit Gareth Southgate approves, but 34-year-old Kane is well past his best and England bow out in the quarter-finals to France on penalties.

Still, at least Baddiel and Skinner made it to No 1 again.

Rob Tanner

Bellingham will be the name on everyone’s lips in five years’ time… and it might not just be Jude people are talking about.

While Jude is setting the world alight at Real Madrid, younger brother Jobe is currently making an impact with Sunderland in the Championship. Still only 18, time is certainly on Jobe’s side if we’re talking about 2028 and the prospect of an England midfield with two Bellinghams in it would be mouthwatering, although there will be plenty of options for manager Eddie Howe.

England have been so reliant on the goals of Harry Kane, but in five years they will need a new solution and it could come in the form of Eddie Nketiah, who should be in the prime of his career by then. Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott is another who has plenty of potential to develop in the coming seasons under Jurgen Klopp.

A few of England’s 2022 Under-19 Euros-winning squad could also step up by then, with Elliott’s Liverpool team-mate Jarell Quansah starting to get some first-team minutes now.

Burnley’s Aaron Ramsey has also kicked on from that victory in July last year, as has Brentford’s Matthew Cox, who was the England goalkeeper in that squad and he could be in the frame for the senior job here. But experience is important for ’keepers and Aaron Ramsdale will only be 30 by then and could be the No 1.

Thom Harris

At last, a full major men’s international tournament on English soil again. Let the national overthink begin.

There are four immediate names on my team sheet; two of the world’s best midfielders in Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, and two of its deadliest forwards in Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, the latter restored to a more attacking central role under Manchester City boss Roberto De Zerbi.

Ramsdale pips James Trafford to the No 1 spot, having nailed down a regular starting position at Aston Villa, Reece James is risked amid the injury doubts that have been a fixture in his career. Rico Lewis is the ideal inverted full-back, while Manchester United’s Marc Guehi shifts over to the right to allow progressive-pass machine Levi Colwill to fire balls forward.

As much as manager Lee Carsley wants Angel Gomes receiving those passes at the base of midfield alongside Rice, the incredible creative form of Morgan Gibbs-White is just too good to ignore.

He will keep the service flowing to Harry Kane, the ultimate goal poacher in the twilight of his career, who will only extend his unassailable lead at the top of the national team scoring charts on the way to a Wembley semi-final, where Germany’s Jamal Musiala will fuel the narrative of a painful England defeat.

No time to feel sorry for ourselves, though: San Marino in World Cup qualifying is just two months away.

Ajay Rose

Aaron Ramsdale, fresh from captaining Leicester City to victory in the 2028 Europa Conference League final, starts in goal.

Levi Colwill remains at Chelsea, but Carney Chukwuemeka has been sold to AC Milan for a modest fee. However, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly becomes so convinced that Fikayo Tomori and Chukwuemeka are the missing pieces of the jigsaw, he sells three per cent of his stake in baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers to fund a £257million ($336m) double deal to bring the pair back to Stamford Bridge.

Tammy Abraham’s seniority and hat-trick in the 2027 Nations League semi-finals mean there is simply no way he does not start for manager Eddie Howe. Rico Lewis, better known as “one of the best players” Pep Guardiola has ever coached, takes a break from coaching Lionel Messi’s children to fill in at left-back.

Fans take to ThoughtSpace, a new social media platform aimed at rivalling X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to make it known that Jamie Bynoe-Gittens or Cole Palmer should have started ahead of Foden. But, just as we saw with James Maddison at the 2022 World Cup, all of that clamour suddenly disappears once the tournament actually starts.

Caoimhe O’Neill

James Trafford is given the nod to be No 1 by manager James Milner, who almost comes out of international retirement at the age of 43 due to a shortage of left-backs.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has finally nailed down his place in the team and it is at right-back, even though he’s a midfielder now. At left-back is Lewis Hall, who has added himself to a long list of one-that-got-away players for Chelsea. Jarell Quansah is a Liverpool first-team regular now and he partners Levi Colwill in central defence.

Curtis Jones has recently become a midfield mainstay after years of being overlooked. Declan Rice (Arsenal’s captain) and Jude Bellingham (England’s captain) join him. Bellingham arrived late to the training camp after being given more time off to rest after playing every minute for Real Madrid as they won La Liga and the Champions League.

Foden has just turned 28 and is in the best form of his career. Marcus Rashford is thriving and leading the line for England. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka is continuing to do wonderful things on that right wing.

(Top photos: Getty Images)