The Spanish women’s football team have shaken the world – first with their incredible World Cup success, then by bringing into question the sexist culture of soccer, stating #SeAcabó ('It's Over') and striking en masse in protest about their treatment by the football authorities. This was after the President of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, was accused of kissing the striker Jenni Hermoso without her consent on live TV during the final's medal presentation ceremony.

In this special extra episode, we speak to prominent Spanish pro-feminist activist Hilario Sáez Méndez about how men have responded to the #SeAcabó movement, and how we can understand these events in the context of wider debates about gender equality, masculinity and men's violence against women in football and Spanish society. Hilario highlights the emergence of a stronger feminist consciousness in recent years, including:

• The #Cuéntalo ('tell it') movement after the horrific 2016 La Manada ('wolf pack') rape case in Pamplona: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/23/wolf-pack-case-spain-feminism-far-right-vox
• The women’s strike in 2018 denouncing sexual discrimination, domestic violence and the gender pay gap: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/08/spanish-women-give-up-work-for-a-day-in-first-feminist-strike
• The 'solo sí es sí' ('only yes means yes') law passed in 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/25/spain-only-yes-means-yes-sexual-consent-bill-expected-to-become-law
• He questions whether the statement by Cadiz's men’s football team - "we are all Jenni" - should in fact be "we are all Rubiales", recognising men's responsibility to address our own sexist behaviour, and that of other men: https://apnews.com/article/sevilla-hermoso-rubiales-kiss-tshirts-73b711b6412c729ec1a320f0f21d60f9

Hilario is a sociologist, the President of the Fundación Iniciativa Social (Social Initiative Foundation), and an active member of Red de Hombres por la Igualdad (Men's Network for Equality) and MenEngage Iberia.

• Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hilariosaez
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilario-sáez-12801928/
• Read the statement from MenEngage Iberia, expressing their revulsion at the behaviour of Luis Rubiales: https://menengage.org/stories/the-actions-of-the-spanish-football-president-are-unworthy-of-his-position-and-of-the-institution-and-the-sport-he-represents/
• MenEngage Iberia: https://twitter.com/MenEngageIberia
• MenEngage Alliance: https://menengage.org
• Fundación...