FIFA suspends Luis Rubiales for three years, lists reasons beyond ‘Hermoso Kiss’ scandal

The disciplinary committee of the International Football Federation (FIFA) has officially suspended former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales from any activity in the sport for three years.

File photo of former president of Spain’s soccer federation Luis Rubiales. | Photo Credit: AP

The disciplinary committee of the International Football Federation (FIFA) had officially suspended former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales last month, from any activity in the sport for three years.

Rubiales was charged with breaching FIFA’s disciplinary code after he kissed Spanish forward Jennifer Hermoso on her lips, following their win in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 final, without her consent.

On Wednesday, December 6, the global football body released the official statement on Rubiales, banning him from football, in any possible capacity, for the next three years.

The sentence is signed by Jorge Iván Palacio, the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, and consists of 35 pages.

In the statement, FIFA not only refers to the kiss to Hermoso, but also to several other gestures made by the then Spanish football chief during the celebrations. There are mentions of Rubiales touching his genitals in the box, of him lifting Athenea del Castillo on his shoulders by her legs and then kissing Olga Carmona, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final.

Taking all such incidents in account, FIFA based its decision to ban Rubiales in accordance with article 13 of its disciplinary code.

“Any person who attacks the dignity or integrity of a country, a person or a group of people by using derogatory, discriminatory or humiliating words or actions (by any means) due to race, skin color, ethnic origin, national or social, gender, disability, sexual orientation, language, religion, political position, purchasing power, place of birth or for any other status or reason will be punished with a suspension lasting at least ten games or a specified period, or with any another appropriate disciplinary measure ,” the article read.

FIFA further said that it was considering sterner actions against Rubiales.

“The Committee wished to stress that it was tempted to impose more severe sanctions in view of the seriousness and gravity of the incidents at stake as well as of the profound negative impact that the Respondent’s actions had on the image of FIFA, women’s football and women’s sport in general,” FIFA said.