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The former President of Spanish football, Luis Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on Monday, October 30. The decision came after the disciplinary committee investigated his conduct at the FIFA Women’s World Cup final, where he kissed the Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips, which she stated wasn’t consensual.
Just six days after the night of the final on August 20, Luis Rubiales had received a 90-day provisional suspension pending the disciplinary proceedings opened against him, in connection with the kiss. In her statement published on August 25, Jenni Hermoso stated that the kiss was an “impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part,” while talking about how it left her feeling “vulnerable and a victim of aggression”.
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Apart from the non-consensual kiss, Luis Rubiales was also spotted grabbing his crotch and carrying Athenea del Castillo over his shoulder, after Spain defeated England by 1-0 at the Stadium Australia. He had refused to resign from his post of President of Spanish football initially, insisting on an extraordinary general assembly to state that he was a victim of a witch-hunt.
The statement from FIFA regarding the ban of Luis Rubiales read, “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This case relates to the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on 20 August 2023, for which Mr Rubiales had been provisionally suspended for an initial period of 90 days.”
“Mr Rubiales has been notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, he has ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee. FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld,” the statement concluded.
