FIFA suspended the president of the Spanish football federation on Saturday after the death of a star player. Jenni Hermoso accused him of a non-consensual kiss during Spanish National Day celebrations. Victory in the Women’s World Cup.
Luis Rubiales will be provisionally suspended from “all football-related activities at national and international level” for 90 days, football’s governing body said in a statement. statement SATURDAY.
Rubiales and representatives of the Royal Spanish Football Federation were also ordered to refrain from contacting Hermoso and his relatives, according to the statement.
Rubiales was informed of “the decision adopted by the president of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee”, it is added.
The announcement came hours after the Spanish soccer federation said Saturday it would take legal action to defend Rubiales against “lies.”
In a statement published on its website, the federation said that Rubiales “declared that he will defend himself legally before the competent authorities, that he has full confidence in the FIFA authorities and reiterates that, in this way, he has the opportunity to begin his defense in such a way that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven.”
The press release did not specify what the legal action would consist of. He added that Pedro Rocha Junco, vice-president of the federation, would take over in the interim.
Hermoso said in a statement Friday that she did not consent to the kiss and that she felt “vulnerable and a victim of assault.” She added that Rubiales’ explanation of “this unfortunate event” was “categorically false and part of the manipulative culture he created.”
Rubiales was handing out gold medals to the team after their 1-0 win over England in Sydney on Sunday when he hugged and kissed Hermoso.
Despite widespread speculation that he would resign, Rubiales who called the kiss “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual.” refused to resign on its actions Friday.
Friday, during an emergency general assembly of the federation, he declared four times in a row “I will not resign” and claimed to be the victim of a witch hunt led by “false feminists”.
He received some applause from the huge male congregation after telling them that she had lifted him up to celebrate and he asked her for “a little kiss?” and she said yes. “The kiss was the same one I might give to one of my daughters,” Rubiales said.
Some staff members of the women’s soccer team disagreed with Rubiales’ remarks at the assembly and said her story “in no way reflects” how Hermoso felt, they said in a press release. To show their support, 11 staff members resigned.
In his statement, Hermoso denied Rubiales’ claim that the kiss he gave her was consensual. “I would like to clarify that, as 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 raise the president” , she said.
The player has gained the support of the Spanish government, which cannot fire Rubiales but has strongly denounced his actions and is seeking his suspension through legal proceedings in a sports court.
Acting Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz called his Friday speech “unacceptable.” She wrote on social media that “the government must act and take urgent measures: impunity for macho acts is over. Rubiales cannot stay in power.”
US Soccer, in a statement, stood by Hermoso and said it supported the suspension, saying “no player should ever be subjected” to what she endured.
“Player safety must be the top priority, and we call on all stakeholders in the global football community to affirm this fundamental right,” the statement said.
Her teammates also supported her. The 23 members of the cup-winning team, including Hermoso, as well as 32 other team members, declared that they would not play international matches as long as Rubiales remained in charge of the federation.
In a statement on
“It fills us with sadness that such an unacceptable event manages to tarnish the greatest sporting achievement of Spanish women’s football,” he said, adding: “After everything that happened during the medal ceremony of the Women’s World Cup, we want to declare that all players who sign this letter will not return to a call-up from the national team if the current management continues.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee also said on Friday that it had opened an investigation in Rubiales. Football’s governing body said in a statement that his actions “may constitute breaches” of its disciplinary code.
Gender issues have become a major topic in Spain in recent years. Tens of thousands of women took part in street marches to protest against sexual violence and abuse.
The Socialist-led coalition government has presided over legal reforms including equal pay, abortion, sex work and transgender rights.
