This Friday, the soccer world was expecting Luis Rubiales to confirm his resignation as president of the Spanish Football Federation. It all seemed inevitable after the controversial kiss he gave to Jenni Hermoso in the Women’s World Cup final.
However, Luis Rubiales took another direction justifying his actions, blaming Hermoso for the incident and guaranteeing he’ll fight until the end. “I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign.” He repeated it three times, and somewhat shockingly, some people applauded him at the event.
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Luis Rubiales’ justification has sparked outrage in Spain to the extent that several female and male players are considering leaving the national team as a demonstration of support for Jenni Hermoso. Now, FIFA is ready to take some measures.
FIFA suspends Luis Rubiales after kiss to Jenni Hermoso
This Saturday, in a historic announcement, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee reported that it has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
The decision comes immediately after his controversial statements and actions regarding the kiss he gave to Jenni Hermoso during the award ceremony of the Women’s World Cup in Australia.
In fact, as a consequence of Luis Rubiales’ stand, the government in Spain had already initiated a process to suspend him from his position. Despite this, the executive showed a challenging attitude in front of the media.
“Is it so serious that I should leave, having overseen the best management in the history of Spanish football? Do you all think I should resign? Well, I’ll tell you something. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign. And let me tell you more, I have faced a lot of pressure.”
According to the information published by FIFA, Rubiales could have violated Articles 13.1 and 13.2 of the organization’s Disciplinary Code. FIFA reiterated its absolute commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and therefore condemns any behavior contrary to that ideal.
“Article 13.1: Associations and clubs, as well as their players, officials, and any other member acting on their behalf, must respect the Laws of the Game, as well as FIFA’s statutes and behave based on the principles of fair play, loyalty, and integrity.”
“Article 13.2: For instance, anyone who acts in any of the following ways can be punished: a) Violating the rules of basic conduct. b) Insulting a person through gestures, signs, or obscene language. c) Using a sporting event for demonstrations of a different nature. d) Behaving in a way that affects the reputation of football and FIFA. e) Actively altering the age of players on their identity cards.”
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During the investigation and disciplinary procedure, Luis Rubiales will be suspended from his duties for at least 90 days and FIFA has warned him that he cannot contact Jenni Hermoso under any circumstances. The most probable outcome: permanent suspension from any soccer activities.
