The Disciplinary Committee of FIFA has provisionally suspended Spanish football federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales for 90 days, it announced on Saturday, amid outrage after he grabbed player Jenni Hermoso's head and kissed her on the lips following Spain's Women's World Cup victory.
Rubiales was supposed to quit on Friday, but instead stated that he would not step down, and the RFEF threatened legal action to defend him after Hermoso stated that she did not consent to the kiss he gave her.
"The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee... has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level," FIFA said in a statement.
Jennifer Hermoso celebrates with Luis Rubiales after the match. (Reuters Photo)Its disciplinary committee also ordered Rubiales and other RFEF officials and workers not to contact or seek to contact Hermoso or those around her.
The Spanish national squad, as well as several other players, have stated that they will not play international matches as long as Rubiales is president of the federation."The decision adopted by the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has been communicated today to Mr Luis Rubiales, the RFEF and (European soccer body) UEFA for due compliance."
The committee stated that it would not provide any additional information on the disciplinary proceedings until a final decision was reached.
The RFEF did not respond immediately. Reuters has reached out to UEFA, where Rubiales serves as a vice president, for comment.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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