The Diplomat
The kiss of the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, to the player Jennifer Hermoso, after the victory of the Spanish national team in the World Cup, has provoked a reaction of condemnation from international organisations.
The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Disciplinary Committee, to which the Spanish Federation belongs, has informed the latter that Luis Rubiales has been provisionally suspended from his post “while the disciplinary proceedings” are being processed.
The RFEF itself announced the suspension, adding that the deputy vice-president to the presidency, Pedro Rocha, “assumes the interim presidency” during the 90-day period of Rubiales’ suspension, “in accordance with the provisions of the RFEF Statutes”.
The committee, chaired by Colombian Jorge Iván Palacios, said Rubiales is suspended “from all football-related activities at national and international level” during the aforementioned period of time. And it adds that, “in order to preserve the fundamental rights” of Jennifer Hermoso and also “the good order” of the disciplinary proceedings underway, it has issued two additional directives (article 7 CDF) by which it orders Rubiales “to refrain, through himself or third parties, from contacting or attempting to contact the player”.
Rubiales, for his part, through the RFEF note, stated that “he will defend himself legally in the competent bodies”. He added that he “has full confidence in the FIFA bodies” and reiterated that, “in this way, he is given the opportunity to begin his defence so that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven”.
Meanwhile, UN Women reproached Rubiales for his “offensive comments and behaviour, totally unacceptable about the kiss to the player Jenni Hermoso, and defended the “zero tolerance” to “any form of abuse or harassment” in women’s sport.
In a statement sent to Europa Press, the organisation stressed that the Spanish women’s national football team is “undisputed world champion”, which is why it claimed to put “in the spotlight” their skills and achievements. However, she regretted that “comments and behaviour”, such as those of Rubiales, “have made history much less worthy of celebration”.
In this sense, UN Women joined all those “who defend zero tolerance” for sexual abuse or harassment, “at any time and in any place in women’s sport”. “We add our voice to those who condemn all such actions, including those that took place at the final,” it said, referring to the controversial kissing of the RFEF president.
UN Women also welcomed “with satisfaction” FIFA’s initiative to initiate disciplinary proceedings following “a clearly inappropriate act towards a female athlete”.
“Women in sport are breaking barriers. At the 2023 World Cup, women captains wore bracelets with messages of unity through sport and an end to violence against women. They showed solidarity with each other. Now we must show solidarity with them,” the organisation called for.
