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.
World football’s governing body issued a statement saying, “(We) decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level,” adding that it would last 90 days while they conducted disciplinary action.
FIFA has placed Spanish federation (RFEF) president Rubiales on a 90-day ban as they investigate the 46-year-old’s conduct.
They said that Hermoso and her family are not to 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 stated that she refused.
At an urgent RFEF meeting on Friday, Rubiales refused to step down, and on Saturday, the federation threatened legal action due to Hermoso’s “lies” about the kiss.
Hermoso said “at no time” did she agree to the kiss that Rubiales characterized as “mutual, euphoric, and consensual” after the 1-0 victory against England in Sydney.
In retaliation, the RFEF said 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 safeguard the reputation of the President of the RFEF, “as many legal actions as necessary” would be required.
Hermoso, 33, said 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 whole World Cup winning team.
That was 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.”
under the statement sent via her Futpro union, she said, “I want to clarify that at no point did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no circumstance 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 anybody who could have harmed “the president’s honorability,” not only Hermoso and Futpro.
The Spanish government said earlier on Saturday that they had also begun a procedure that may enable them to remove Rubiales from his position the following week.
Assault is assault.
Hermoso’s marriage The 81 players, according to Futpro, went on strike to promote change.
Runners-up from the World Cup On social media, “The Lionesses” of England posted a message in support of Hermoso.
Unacceptable acts were permitted by a patriarchal and sexist organization. We have all seen the reality; abuse is abuse.
“Jenni Hermoso and the entire Spanish team have our full support,” everyone said.
Three of the 15 Spanish players who had taken a similar position against the federation and coach Jorge Vilda before to the event gave it up.
On Friday, other athletes, including two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, sent messages of support for Hermoso on social media, with some of them using the term “it’s over”—possibly in reference to Rubiales’ tenure as president of Spanish football.
Putellas, Hermoso, Aitana Bonmati, the World Cup’s player of the competition, and others have since said that they would not play for Spain once again unless Rubiales and maybe other officials go.
The federation seemed to issue the striking players a veiled warning in its statement on Saturday.
The RFEF said that it “respects, as it has always respected, the decisions of the players who wish to participate or not with the Spanish national team in international matches,” despite the fact that it is obvious that all federated individuals must serve on the national team if they are called up.