Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has suspended Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales for 90 days for giving a “surprise kiss” to a player.
“The Disciplinary Committee Chairman, Jorge Ivan Palacio, has provisionally suspended Mr. Rubiales’ authority in all areas related to football, effective from this date, on the basis of Article 51 of the Disciplinary Regulations,” FIFA said in a statement on Saturday.
“This suspension extends beyond Spain to his international activities and will last for 90 days,” the statement continued, “and we will announce the results of the investigation in due course with regard to any final disciplinary action.”
Rubiales was further ordered to keep away from Spain’s women’s national soccer team player Henipher Hermoso, whom he kissed in a surprise move, and to make no contact with her through third parties (see also: ‘Forced Kiss’ Spanish Football Federation President Refuses to Resign, Players ‘Boycott’).
Refused to resign despite pressure from all sides… “The player consented to the kiss”
“The decision was taken to protect Hermoso’s fundamental rights,” FIFA said, adding that it had also informed UEFA, of which Rubiales is a vice-president.
Rubiales grabbed the Spain midfielder’s face with both hands and kissed her during the awards ceremony following Spain’s victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Australia-New Zealand final in Sydney, Australia, on June 20.
He repeatedly went beyond congratulations by kissing Hermoso and other players on the cheek or neck, sparking controversy. Sports and women’s organizations and government figures, including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, criticized Rubiales and called for his resignation.
However, Rubiales refused to step down in a speech the day before, characterizing the incident as a “social assassination by false feminists.”
He insisted that his kiss was mutually consensual with Hermoso, saying, “Hermoso first asked me to hug her and lift her up, and I asked her, ‘Can I kiss you lightly,’ and she said, ‘Yes, please,'” he said.
Hermoso, on the other hand, released a statement and countered that “everything Mr. Rubiales said is false, and the conversation he described never happened.”
Esmo “never agreed” vs. Fifa “has proof”
The 11 members of the Spanish women’s national soccer team’s coaching staff announced their collective resignation the same day after Rubiales refused to resign and chose to “hang in there. They criticized Rubiales, saying, “His statements do not reflect how Hermoso must have felt.”
They also accused the Spanish soccer federation of forcing the female coaches to sit in the front row when Rubiales gave a speech the day before refusing to resign.
Luis de la Fuente, who coaches the Spanish men’s national soccer team, said that “Rubiales’ behavior was inappropriate for a representative of Spanish football” and that “it is regrettable that this situation is ruining the achievements of women’s football in Spain.”
“FIFA’s suspension means that the truth will prevail and that Mr. Rubiales has been given the opportunity to defend himself in order to prove his innocence,” the Spanish Football Association said, adding, “He has full confidence in FIFA.”
The situation has come to a “head,” with Hermoso saying that he has solid evidence that Hermoso’s claim that he did not consent to the kiss is false and threatening legal action. 바카라사이트