FIFA chairman of discipline Jorge Ivan Palacio on Saturday provisionally suspended Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales for 90 days in response to Rubiales kissing star player Jennifer Hermoso at the medal ceremony following Spain winning the Women’s World Cup last Sunday.
The suspension comes after RFEF threatened to “initiate the appropriate legal actions” against Hermoso and Spain’s Association of Professional Soccer Players (FUTPRO) over their depiction of the kiss.
Hermoso, who is the women’s national team’s all-time leading scorer, has stated she “felt vulnerable” when Rubiales kissed her. She says she is “a victim of an impulse-driven, sexist, out of place act without any consent on my part.”
However, RFEF released a statement allegedly quoting Hermoso, 33, as saying the kiss was “a mutual gesture that was totally spontaneous due to the immense joy of winning a World Cup.”
Rubiales, 46, vows he won’t resign. He describes the kiss as “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual” and one he would give his own daughters.
In a website post, RFEF claims that Hermoso “gripped” and held Rubiales in their embrace, and that Rubiales’ “feet are clearly and conspicuously off the ground due to the force applied by the player.”
A video of the incident is here.
Meanwhile, Hermoso and her teammates, along with other pro women players, say they will not play for the national team until Rubiales is removed. Members of the coaching staff have quit, and...
KATIE Price’s husband Lee Andrews was active on Instagram AGAIN after false claims that he was arrested. On Saturday, Katie, 48, was forced todeny claims by Lee’s dad that he had been arrested in ...