FIFA Bans Spain’s Luis Rubiales for 3 Years Over Unwanted World Cup Kiss
Rubiales was previously received a 90-day ban following backlash over kissing a player following Spain's World Cup final win
FIFA has banned former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales from the sport for three years, after determining that he acted in breach of conduct during the World Cup final, the association announced Monday.
Rubiales, 46, had previously been banned for 90 days after FIFA disciplined him following backlash after he kissed a player following Spain's World Cup final win, and for grabbing at his crotch as the match ended.
Furor surrounding Rubiales’ behavior only grew after the president later refused to resign from his position during an assembly meeting.
FIFA’s ban extends to “all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years,” and the association found him in breach of article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The charges were relating to “basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute,” according to the Associated Press.
Related: Spanish Soccer President Luis Rubiales Resigns from Position Following World Cup Kiss
Rubiales is also at the center of a criminal investigation for kissing player Jenni Hermoso, and is under a restraining order from contacting the soccer player, per the AP.
In the locker room after the final, Hermoso, 33, was seen in an Instagram video shouting to other players “I didn’t like it,” according to the AP and BBC.
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The Spanish football federation later released a statement on behalf of Hermoso calling the kiss “a totally spontaneous mutual gesture” that happened while celebrating the World Cup.
"It was the emotion of the moment," Hermoso then told Cadena COPE in an interview. "There's nothing else there. It's no big deal."
Last month, Rubiales announced he would step down from his position as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
Rubiales later shared a statement on X, announcing that had officially relinquished his title as president of the organization.
"I have faith in the truth and I will do everything in my power so that it prevails," he wrote in a bolded section of the statement.
Rubiales also said that his daughters, family and loved ones have "suffered the effects of an excessive persecution" in the wake of the World Cup final, but he noted that "in the street, more so every day, the truth is prevailing."
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