FIFA suspend Spanish football chief, Rubiales, after Hermoso kiss

On Saturday, FIFA barred Luis Rubiales from contacting Jenni Hermoso and suspended him from his duties as head of Spain’s football association for kissing the player on the lips at the Women’s World Cup.

The organization that oversees football said in a statement, “(We) decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level.”

FIFA has placed Spanish federation (RFEF) president Rubiales on a 90-day suspension as they investigate the 46-year-old’s conduct.

They said that Hermoso and anyone close to her cannot be contacted by Rubiales or the RFEF.

FIFA’s action was the most recent twist in a dispute that the players claim has diminished the honor of their World Cup victory in Australia last Sunday between Rubiales and the RFEF, Hermoso and her Spain teammates, and Rubiales.

In a statement released on Friday, Hermoso said that Rubiales and the federation exerted “continuous pressure” on her, her family, and friends to force them to join Rubiales in a video in which he apologized for his kiss. However, Hermoso said that she refused.

Rubiales declined to quit at an emergency RFEF meeting on Friday and on Saturday, the federation threatened to take legal action over Hermoso’s “lies” about the kiss.

Hermoso said “at no time” did she agree to the kiss that Rubiales described as “mutual, euphoric, and consensual” after the 1-0 victory over England in Sydney.

In retaliation, the RFEF stated that they will “demonstrate each of the lies that have been spread, whether in the name of the player, if that is the case, or by the player herself.”

To defend the reputation of the President of the RFEF, “as many legal actions as necessary” would be required.

Hermoso, 33, announced he was going on strike and would not play for the national team until the “leadership” changed. He was joined by 80 other Spain players, including the entire World Cup winning team.

That came in response to Rubiales’ refusal to step down in the face of extraordinary criticism. He asserts that “social assassination” has targeted him.

His assertions that the kiss was consensual were forcefully refuted by Hermoso, who said that she felt “vulnerable and the victim of an assault.”

In a statement issued through her Futpro union, she stated, “I want to clarify that at no point did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no way did I seek to lift up the president.”

The RFEF posted a number of pictures on their website as “the first demonstration that the facts exposed by Mr. President are absolutely true” in an effort to show that Hermoso did, in fact, pull up Rubiales.

They threatened legal action against anyone who might have harmed “the president’s honorability,” not just Hermoso and Futpro.

The Spanish government said earlier on Saturday that they had also begun a procedure that might enable them to remove Rubiales from his position the following week.