Luis Rubiales is suspended by FIFA for 90 days after the World Cup final kissing incident

While its disciplinary committee looks into his actions during the Women’s World Cup final, which included kissing a woman on the lips without her permission, FIFA banned Luis Rubiales, the head of the Spanish football federation, from his position on Saturday.

The decision came six days after Rubiales was accused of embarrassing Spain in front of a large international audience at the World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, overshadowing the monumental achievement of Spain’s first women’s World Cup victory.

With Spain’s Queen Letizia and her 16-year-old daughter Sofia present, Rubiales apparently grabbed his crotch in an obscene victory gesture while kissing star player Jenni Hermoso, who claimed she did not agree.

Rubiales has been suspended from all football-related activities for 90 days, according to FIFA, “pending the disciplinary proceedings opened” against him on Thursday.

Despite strong pressure from the Spanish government, female players, football clubs, and authorities, Rubiales refused to step down from his position as president of the Spanish Football Federation on Friday at an extraordinary general assembly meeting.

FIFA has not specified a deadline for the disciplinary panel’s decision. The organization’s disciplinary judges have the authority to punish anyone with anything from warnings and penalties to bans from the sport.

In response to Hermoso’s refusal to accept Rubiales’ account of the kiss that occurred during the on-field medal and trophy presentation after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England last Sunday, the Spanish federation even threatened legal action against Hermoso.

Rubiales shouldn’t be able to work in football or interact with other officials while he’s on suspension.

Jorge Palacio, a FIFA disciplinary judge, also intervened on Saturday to defend Hermoso’s “fundamental rights” and the credibility of the disciplinary proceeding.

If the Spanish court finds Rubiales guilty, he can be declared unfit for government.

Initially, local media had said that Rubiales will formally tender his resignation during the federation’s general assembly on Friday.

Supportive messages for Hermoso flowed in from women’s football and beyond.

A number of teams, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, and others, released comments denouncing Rubiales and supporting the government’s removal of him. He was deemed unsuitable to hold on to his position by political groups on both the left and the right in Spain. The government, according to Iberia Airlines and other supporters of the federations, was also involved.

Rubiales is the third-ranking elected vice president of UEFA, the governing body of European football. He receives a salary of 250,000 euros ($270,000) each year, plus expenses.

He was appointed to the executive committee in 2019 by the UEFA member federations, and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin quickly advanced him to the vice presidency.

This week, the Rubiales controversy has remained unmentioned by either UEFA or Ceferin. FIFA has already made two appearances in the matter.