FIFA Bans Rubiales For Three Years Following 'Forced Kiss' On Jenni Hermoso

FIFA has finally made a decision regarding the case of disgraced former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales. The governing body announced on Monday that Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, following a disciplinary committee investigation into his conduct at the Women's World Cup final.

FIFA released a statement about the decision on its official website: "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."

The statement further confirms that the decision follows the initial suspension of 90 days that FIFA slapped on Rubiales soon after the scandal broke. It may be remembered that the controversy stems from the former football executive's actions during the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup on 20 August 2023, which Spain won.

Rubiales was spotted on camera grabbing his crotch to celebrate Spain's winning goal while standing near Queen Letizia of Spain and her daughter, the Infanta Sofia. Rubiales was later seen carrying one of Spain's players, Athenea del Castillo, like a hunk of meat over his shoulder as the entire squad was celebrating on the pitch after the match concluded.

What brought perhaps the most controversy, however, was how he forcibly kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso squarely on the mouth after she was handed her winner's medal during the awarding ceremony.

The act was witnessed by millions of people from around the globe, and Hermoso later admitted that she did not like it. This led to an official inquiry that resulted in a chain of events that continues until now.

FIFA has confirmed that Rubiales has "ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com". Rubiales may still appeal the ban before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

Rubiales has always insisted that the kiss was not malicious and that it was a consensual celebration between two friends. Hermoso has since contradicted his statements, saying that she never gave her consent and that she felt disrespected at that moment. She has also since spoken up about being put under pressure by the RFEF to sweep the incident under the rug.

Rubiales initially refused to resign from his post, and even told an extraordinary general assembly that he was the victim of a "witch-hunt".

The backlash continued and the players announced a boycott, forcing the heads of the RFEF regional groups to sack manager Jorge Vilda and to call for the resignation of Rubiales. Vilda is know to be a fierce ally of Rubiales, and the latter backed the manager after players called for his removal back in 2022.

On September 10, Rubiales finally submitted his resignation, but has still maintained his innocence. Following the latest FIFA decision, he released a statement saying: "I will take this as far as I have to in order for justice to be done and for the truth to come out. For all the efforts of the institutions, politicians and the media it is ever clearer how disproportionate and unjust this is."

Meanwhile, apart from FIFA, the high court in Spain is also investigating the case after prosecutors cited concerns that there could be grounds to charge Rubiales with sexual assault over the Hermoso kiss.

Hermoso filed a complaint and said the incident had left her feeling "vulnerable and a victim of aggression". She added that the kiss was an "impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part".

Spain won the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but the controversy overshadowed the win. Hermoso was left out of the first squad since the World Cup but made a triumphant comeback last Friday, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Italy in the Nations League.