The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is expected to launch legal action against Jennifer ‘Jenni’ Hermoso after she released a statement about that fucked kiss she received from Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. FIFA has now suspended him from all football activity.
To give you a bit of context on what’s happening in the world of women’s soccer: Spain’s victory over England at the FIFA Women’s World Cup has been overshadowed by Rubiales’ actions. As Hermoso was receiving her medal, the Spanish Football Federation president grabbed her head and kissed her.
After the incident, folks from all over the world called for Rubiales to be reprimanded for his actions. On Friday, the Spanish Football Federation president said he would not be resigning from his position. FIFA has since suspended him from all football activity.
“The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Jorge Ivan Palacio (Colombia), in use of the powers granted by article 51 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level,” FIFA wrote in a statement.
“This suspension, which will be effective as of today, is for an initial period of 90 days, pending the disciplinary proceedings opened against Mr. Luis Rubiales on Thursday, August 24.”
It also ordered that the RFEF — including its officials, employees or through third parties — to not contact Hermoso or anyone in her “close environment”.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee also announced it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales.
Prior to his suspension, Rubiales admitted the kiss was wrong. However, the soccer boss claimed his actions were out of excitement rather than malice.
“It was without bad faith at a time of maximum effusiveness,” he said in a video statement sent by the federation.
On Friday, Rubiales refused to resign from his position and claimed the footballer agreed to let him give her “a little peck”, as per The Guardian.
However, later that day, Hermoso released a statement on Twitter, claiming that she didn’t approve of Rubiales’ “peck”.
“I want to make clear that not in any moment did the conversation occur that Mr. Luis Rubiales references, and much less that his kiss was consensual. In the same way, I want to reiterate how I did in that moment that what happened was not enjoyable,” she wrote.
“The situation left me in shock because of the context of the celebration, and with the time passed and those initial feelings being able to sink, I feel the need to denounce this as I feel that no one, in no workspace, sporting or social, should be a victim to this time of non-consensual behaviour.
“I felt vulnerable and a victim of aggression, an impulsive act, sexist, out of place and without any type of consent from my part. In short, I wasn’t respected.
Hermoso also claimed she was “asked to release a joint statement to relieve the pressure off the president”.
“These types of incidents add to a long list of situations that the players have been denouncing in recent years. This incident, one in which I have been involved, is the final straw and what everyone has been able to witness on live television during the celebration also comes with attitudes like the one we saw this morning and have been apart of our team’s daily life for years,” Hermoso wrote.
After Hermoso spoke out about the incident, the RFEF fired back with another statement, saying it would launch legal action against the football player.
“Mr. President has not lied,” the statement reads.
“The RFEF and Mr. President will demonstrate each of the lies that are spread either by someone on behalf of the player or, if applicable, by the player herself.
“The RFEF and the President, given the seriousness of the content of the press release from the Futpro Union, will initiate the corresponding legal actions.”
According to Optus Sport, 81 soccer players have refused to play in solidarity with Hermoso.
