Women’s World Cup kiss: Fifa suspends Luis Rubiales after Spain football chiefs threaten legal action over player’s ‘lies’
- RFEF, of which Luis Rubiales is president, threatens action ‘to defend [his] honour’ over criticism of him kissing one of Spain’s Women’s World Cup winners
- Jenni Hermoso has said she did not consent to being kissed on the lips following Spain’s triumph, contrary to Rubiales’ claims
Fifa suspended Luis Rubiales as president of Spain’s football federation on Saturday for kissing Spanish Women’s World Cup player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, and banned him from making contact with her.
“[We] decided today to provisionally suspend Mr Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level,” said world football’s governing body in a statement, explaining it would last 90 days, pending its disciplinary proceedings.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) had earlier on Saturday threatened to take legal action over Hermoso’s “lies” about her kiss with its president.
The RFEF and Rubiales said they would “demonstrate each of the lies that have been spread, whether in the name of the player, if that is the case, or by the player herself”.
It would take “as many legal actions as necessary to defend the honour of the president of the RFEF.”
