KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- Disgraced former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been banned for three years by the world governing body for his notorious unwanted kissing of Women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso.

A FIFA statement from FIFA’s disciplinary committee said: “The FIFA disciplinary committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the RFEF, from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”

The incident, during the podium presentation in Sydney after Spain’s victory over England in the Women’s World Cup Final, prompted chaos within the Spanish federation and totally overshadowed what should have been the celebratory legacy of the tournament.

Rubiales claimed the kiss had been consensual despite fierce criticism from Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government. He even, in the name of the Spanish federation, had threatened legal action against Hermoso for “lies” until FIFA has barred Rubiales and the RFEF from contacting Hermoso, to preserve her “fundamental rights.”

Initially Rubiales, who has now also been replaced as a vice-president of European federation UEFA, had tried to defy all sporting and domestic political demands for his resignation. He even ordered members of the women’s team coaching staff to sit on the front row of an assembly at which he announced his intention to stay in his post in an effort to give the impression that they supported the embattled president.

However the attempt to create an illusion of unity was fractured when Luis de la Fuente, the men’s national team head coach, issued a statement Saturday condemning the actions and behaviour of Rubiales.

De la Fuente criticised the “wrong and out-of-place behaviour by the RFEF President” and said that Rubiales’ actions were “not appropriate for someone who was representing the entirety of Spanish football.”

FIFA has now agreed that such a condemnation applies to world football in general.

Pedro Rocha, formerly a vice-president of the Spanish federation, has taken over as interim president.

FIFA statement:

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

This case relates to the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ on 20 August 2023, for which Mr Rubiales had been provisionally suspended for an initial period of 90 days.

Mr Rubiales has been notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, he has ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld.

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