FIFA suspends Spanish soccer president for kissing at the World Cup

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FIFA’s disciplinary committee has suspended the head of the Spanish football association as part of its investigation into his conduct after he forcibly kissed a player during the medal ceremony for the World Cup final last weekend. from last week.

Soccer’s world governing body said on Saturday it had decided to suspend Luis Rubiales from “all soccer-related activities” both domestically and internationally for a period of 90 days, pending disciplinary proceedings. In addition to his role in the Spanish Soccer Federation, Rubiales is vice president of UEFA, the governing body for European soccer.

FIFA also invoked additional powers to prevent Rubiales and the Spanish Football Federation from contacting the player he kissed, either “directly or indirectly”.

The incident has sparked outrage across the country and in international soccer, and overshadowed Spain’s first Women’s World Cup trophy. The Spanish government was already trying to suspend Rubiales as head of the RFEF by filing a complaint with a sports court.

Rubiales was expected to resign on Friday after a public outcry over his conduct during last week’s World Cup final in Sydney, in which he grabbed Jenni Hermoso onstage and kissed her on the lips. He claimed that her kiss was consensual, something the player has since said was “categorically untrue”.

“I felt vulnerable and the victim of an impulsive, sexist, out of place act and without any consent on my part,” Hermoso said in a statement.

But rather than resign at an extraordinary meeting of the RFEF on Friday, Rubiales made a defiant speech saying she was the victim of a “false feminism” and vowed to stay. Her speech was received with applause from many of those present in the room.

Overnight, the Spanish Football Federation announced that it would take legal action against Futpro, the players’ union that represents Hermoso, accusing it of spreading “lies”.

Spain’s World Cup-winning women’s team issued a statement co-signed by dozens of players saying they would not represent their country again until Rubiales left. Many big-name female players (and a handful of male players) have issued public statements on social media in support of Hermoso.

The tournament’s World Cup player, Aitana Bonmatí, said: “There are limits that cannot be crossed and we cannot tolerate this. We are with your teammate.”

The England women’s team, who lost the final to Spain, issued a statement saying: “Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth. The behavior of those who believe they are invincible should not be tolerated and people should not need to be convinced to act.”

Miquel Iceta, Spain’s Minister of Culture and Sports, said that “this is the end” for Rubiales.

“This cannot continue like this,” he told the newspaper El País. “It cannot happen that in the face of unacceptable events there is no reaction from the president or the assembly of the football federation. So it’s over.”