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Rabat – FIFA, the international governing body of football, has opened a disciplinary case against the president of Spain’s football association Luis Rubiales, as he continues to be in the center of a controversy surrounding his treatment of the national women’s team.
Rubiales kissed the player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the team’s celebrations after winning the Women’s World Cup in Sydney, Australia, igniting controversy as people disapproved of the gesture.
Minutes earlier, Rubiales was seen inappropriately grabbing himself in celebration as Spain won their game, with Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter in the box.
FIFA said on Thursday that it will deliberate on whether Rubiales had violated “the basic rules of decent conduct” and behaved “in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”
“FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary,” the footballing body said in a statement.
Following the World Cup final, which Spain won, Hermoso was heard on a live broadcast saying that she “did not like” the kiss.
Following this, the Spanish federation released a statement in which they quoted Hermoso as saying that the kiss was “a totally spontaneous mutual gesture due to the immense joy of winning a World Cup.”
However, subsequent reports from Spanish media alleged that the statement was not Hermoso’s, and that it was published by the federation without her consent, leading the federation to call for an extraordinary general assembly.
The move by Rubiales garnered significant backlash, especially as it came off the back of the women’s team victory, raising questions on the treatment of women in the sport.
