
Fifa suspends Luis Rubiales over Women’s World Cup conduct
Fifa has suspended Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales over his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final. Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activity for 90 days and is not allowed to contact Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso or those close to her. Rubiales is currently the subject of a Fifa investigation into his behaviour after the match, when he kissed forward Hermoso on the lips and was also filmed grabbing his crotch in an aggressive celebration at the full-time whistle. He has come under increasing pressure from across sport and politics but on Friday refused to resign in a chaotic press conference. “The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee... has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level,” Fifa said in a statement. Rubiales claimed the kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual” but Hermoso, who previously suggested comments playing down the incident attributed to her by the federation were false, hit back with an attack on the organisation as a whole. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) which Rubiales runs said it analysed four images of Hermoso and Rubiales embracing, claiming they show it was Hermoso’s force that lifted him in the air, in an effort to blame the player for the kiss. Hermoso was quoted in a statement issued by Futpro, the players’ union representing her, as stating “in no case did I seek to raise (lift) the president” during the podium incident. Hermoso had accused the Federation of a “manipulative, hostile and controlling culture” as the World Cup-winning squad refused to play while Rubiales remains in post. A total of 81 players signed a letter stating they will not accept national team call-ups while Rubiales refuses to resign. In the early hours of Saturday, RFEF said it would show there have been lies about what happened by Hermoso or people speaking for her and vowed to initiate legal action. “Where there is rule of law ... opinions are counteracted with facts and evidence, and lies are rebutted in court ... The RFEF and the President will show each of the lies that are spread either by someone on behalf of the player or, if applicable, by the player herself,” it said. The statement was accompanied by four photos of the event last Sunday that it said illustrated Rubiales’ contention that Hermoso lifted him by the hips before the incident. He appeared to forcibly kiss Hermoso as the players collected their medals and trophy. Rubiales also came under fire when footage emerged appearing to show the federation president grabbing his crotch when Spain won, while sat close to the Queen of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter. Elsewhere, Spain’s government has started legal proceedings seeking to suspend the soccer federation chief with Victor Francos, head of the state-run National Sports Council telling a news conference: “The government starts today the procedure so that Mr Rubiales has to give explanations before the Sport Court and if the Sport Court agrees, I can announce that we will suspend Mr Rubiales from his functions.” The secretary of sport also added that he hoped this incident would become “Spanish football’s Me Too moment”. The Spanish team has also been backed by the Lionesses, whom they beat in Sunday’s final in Sydney. England players declared on Friday evening that they stand with Hermoso, describing the incident as “unacceptable”. Full Fifa statement on Luis Rubiales “The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Jorge Ivan Palacio (Colombia), in use of the powers granted by article 51 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level. This suspension, which will be effective as of today, is for an initial period of 90 days, pending the disciplinary proceedings opened against Mr. Luis Rubiales on Thursday, August 24. “Likewise, the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and in order to preserve, among other factors, the fundamental rights of the national soccer team player Ms. Jennifer Hermoso and the good order of the disciplinary proceedings before this disciplinary body, has issued two additional directives (article 7 FDC) by which he orders Mr. Luis Rubiales to refrain, through himself or third parties, from contacting or attempting to contact the professional player of the Spanish national football team Ms. Jennifer Hermoso or her close environment. Likewise, the RFEF and its officials or employees, directly or through third parties, are ordered to refrain from contacting the professional player of the Spanish national team Ms. Jennifer Hermoso and her close environment. “The decision adopted by the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has been communicated today to Mr. Luis Rubiales, the RFEF and UEFA for due compliance.“ The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will not provide any further information on these disciplinary proceedings until a final decision has been taken.“FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respect the integrity of all persons and therefore condemns with the utmost vigor any behavior to the contrary.” additional reporting by PA Read More Spanish football’s ‘me-too moment’ is a mirror for the entire game Spanish football’s ‘me-too moment’ is a mirror for the entire game Spanish FA threatens legal action over Jenni Hermoso ‘lies’ in World Cup kiss row Jenni Hermoso slams Spanish football federation after Luis Rubiales incident
2023-08-27 00:01

Volkswagen's H1 deliveries up in every region but China
Volkswagen said on Friday its Group deliveries increased 12.8% year-on-year from January to June, registering growth in every
2023-07-14 17:15

Here's why a smart lock should be the first smart home device you own
Shop Prime Day deals: Amazon smart lock deals Walmart smart lock deals Best Buy smart
2023-10-09 23:00

U.S. consumer confidence jumps to a two-year high as inflation eases
U.S. consumer confidence shot to the highest level in two years this month as inflationary pressures eased and the American economy continued to show resilience in the face of dramatically higher interest rates
2023-07-25 22:19

Jennifer Lawrence hilariously claps back at Liam Hemsworth
Jennifer Lawrence hilariously claps back at Liam Hemsworth
2023-06-28 04:47

Shohei Ohtani hits Angels-record 14th homer in June in 9-7 loss to the White Sox
Eloy Jiménez and Zach Remillard had two-run singles in the third inning and the Chicago White Sox beat Los Angeles 9-7 on Thursday, overcoming Shohei Ohtani’s Angels-record 14th homer in June
2023-06-30 07:18

Schonfeld Cuts 15% of Staff After Exiting Millennium Talks
Schonfeld Strategic Advisors dismissed 15% of its workforce to cut costs after scrapping deal talks with Izzy Englander’s
2023-11-16 21:10

Twitter detectives think Kadarius Toney deleted his account after brutal season opener
Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney apparently deleted his Twitter account after dropping three passes in a disastrous Week 1 performance for Kansas City.
2023-09-09 02:03

Who is Sykkuno? Will he be Pokimane's replacement after OTV departure?
The recent conversation between Pokimane and Sykkuno has left users perplexed over the latter's decision to join OTV
2023-05-21 18:00

The Gophers are happy with good health and a full roster after 2 painful seasons
The first two years for Ben Johnson as coach at his alma mater Minnesota were painful in many ways
2023-10-25 07:04

OPEC+ mulls further output cuts to boost flagging prices
Major oil-producing nations led by Riyadh and Moscow were moving towards an agreement to further slash production to prop up volatile prices, a source close...
2023-11-30 23:35

Google Pixel's battery drainage issue has been fixed
If you have a Google Pixel phone, you may have noticed its battery has recently
2023-05-16 16:00
You Might Like...

10 Amazon Packing Cubes To Make Your Vacation (& Life) Easier

Injured prop Lomax on the mend for New Zealand at Rugby World Cup

Meta Quest 3 to get new tracking feature other VR headsets don't have — not even Apple Vision Pro

Ludwig defends MrBeast amid backlash over 'I built 100 wells in Africa' video: 'Let's do better journalism'

The tributes in pictures as football family remembers Sir Bobby Charlton

Aeva Appoints Dr. Stefan Sommer, Former CEO of ZF Group and Board Member at Volkswagen Group, to its Board of Directors

Tony Bennett obituary: The great interpreter of the American songbook

Trump, who paved way for Roe v. Wade reversal, says Republicans 'speak very inarticulately' about abortion