FIFA to Investigate Kiss by Spanish FA President Luis Rubiales During Women's World Cup Final
It appears that Luis Rubiales, the President of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), will not emerge unscathed from his actions during the Women's World Cup final. During the awards ceremony, RFEF President Rubiales forcibly kissed Spanish women's football player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, according to The Guardian.
An official complaint against him has been submitted to the National Sports Council by Miguel Galan, the national coach of the Spanish Football Federation.
FIFA has now opened a disciplinary proceeding against Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Federation, for inappropriate conduct during the Women’s World Cup final.
Initially, Jenni Hermoso tried not to focus on the incident, but the public outcry has proven too loud to ignore. Football stars and officials alike have condemned Rubiales for such indecent behaviour.
In response to the incident, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has convened an emergency meeting.
Rubiales has been leading the Spanish football federation since May 2018. Previous scandals involving him were exclusively football-related, including the dismissal of Lopetegui ahead of the Men’s World Cup in 2018 and conflicts with La Liga President Javier Tebas.
However, now his personal relationships with federation employees are also coming into public scrutiny. "I have also experienced humiliation from Rubiales, which was appalling. I am not surprised by this situation at all, as I have known him for many years and have suffered because of him. For instance, he would ask what colour my underwear was," claimed Tamara Ramos, who formerly worked with Rubiales at the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE).
The Spanish Football Federation, however, has refuted this claim, expressing regret and condemning the very serious and false accusations made by Tamara Ramos.
In a related development, acting Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez stated that the kiss by Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Football Federation, on player Jenni Hermoso's lips was an "unacceptable gesture," adding that apologies for it were "insufficient."
Popular Spanish journalist Ana Pastor, who has nearly two million followers on Twitter, has also criticised Luis Rubiales for the kiss on the lips of the female footballer at the World Cup 2023. She labelled Rubiales as a "sleaze" and a "hooligan," and, like the Spanish Prime Minister, demanded his resignation from the position of President of the Spanish Football Federation.