Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
Sport
Ben Hayward

FIFA suspend RFEF president Luis Rubiales over Jenni Hermoso kiss after WWC final

Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales kisses Spain's Jenni Hermoso after the team's win over England in the Women's World Cup final in Sydney in August 2023.

FIFA have suspended Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales following his controversial kiss on the lips of midfielder Jenni Hermoso after La Roja's  win over England in the Women's World Cup final last Sunday.

Rubiales initially called criticism of his actions "idiotic", before posting a video earlier this week in which he admitted he had made a mistake.

However, in a speech on Friday in which he was expected to announce his decision to stand down, the 46-year-old RFEF chief vowed not to resign.

That provoked outcry in Spain and across the football world, with all of the 23 World Cup winners joined by key figures from the women's game signing a statement saying they would not continue to play while he was in charge.

Rubiales insisted on Friday that the kiss was consented, but those claims have been rejected by Hermoso, who also says the RFEF made up a statement in which she was quoted as playing down the controversy.

The RFEF have said they will take legal action against the popular player, who has received widespread support since the incident.

FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales on Friday and have now banned the 46-year-old from all football activity.

"This suspension, which will be effective as of today, is for an initial period of 90 days, pending the disciplinary proceedings," football's governing body said.

More Women's World Cup stories

Spain beat England 1-0 in Sydney last Sunday to win the Women's World Cup for the first time in their history.

Alex Greenwood tells FourFourTwo that England have changed more mentality-wise than ability-wise, with manager Sarina Wiegman imperative to that.

And Wiegman's success with the Lionesses has seen her linked with the England men's team as a possible successor to Gareth Southgate, with the FA saying she would be under consideration for the role.

Should football mic up referees? What we've learned from the Women's World Cup.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.