TEMPO.CO, Madrid - FIFA on Saturday, August 26, suspended Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales from all soccer-related activities for three months as it investigates allegations of an unwanted kiss on the lips of player Jennifer Hermoso after Spain's women won the World Cup.

His suspension from national and international activities takes immediate effect, world football's ruling body said in a statement about the action taken by its disciplinary committee chief Jorge Ivan Palacio.

FIFA had opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday over his actions last Sunday in Sydney. Rubiales said he would defend himself to prove his "complete innocence".

Rubiales, 46, has been defiant over the kiss - which has been condemned as unwanted by Hermoso, her teammates, and the Spanish government - arguing it was consensual. Earlier on Saturday the federation he heads had said it would stick by him.

After the FIFA statement, a spokesperson for the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said: "We respect all the pronouncements of FIFA."

In a statement through the federation, Rubiales said: "Luis Rubiales has stated that he will legally defend himself in the competent bodies, he fully trusts FIFA and reiterates that, in this way, he is given the opportunity to begin his defense so that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven."

Gary Lineker, a former England and Barcelona player, summed up much of the public reaction to the FIFA move, posting in Spanish on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Por fin! (At last)."

Rubiales played mainly in Spain's second division in a career spanning 12 years. When he was elected to lead the RFEF in 2018, he promised to modernize its structure, increase turnover and make the federation more transparent.

Feminist groups staged demonstrations in Madrid, Santander, and Logrono on Saturday calling for his resignation.

Rubiales refused on Friday to resign, seeking to defend his behavior and calling the kiss "spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual".

Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss and felt "vulnerable and the victim of aggression".

In a statement hours before FIFA's move on Saturday, the federation said it would show there had been lies told about what happened by Hermoso or people speaking for her.

The statement, issued on the RFEF website, said it would take appropriate legal action to defend Rubiales' honor, but did not say what the action would consist of.

The Spanish government cannot fire Rubiales but has strongly denounced his actions and said on Friday it was seeking to get him suspended using a legal procedure before a sports tribunal.

In a joint statement sent via their FUTPRO union on Friday evening, all 23 of Spain's cup-winning squad including Hermoso, as well as 32 other squad members, said they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation.

In the same statement, Hermoso denied Rubiales' contention that the kiss was consensual, writing: "I want to clarify that, as was seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to lift the president."

REUTERS

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