FIFA suspended Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales on Saturday while its disciplinary committee investigates his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final, which included kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain’s victory.
The provisional suspension comes less than a week after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, Australia, and a day after Rubiales refused to resign, despite intense pressure from the Spanish government, women players, soccer clubs and officials. Rubiales’ conduct, which also included grabbing his crotch, has overshadowed the enormous accomplishment of Spain’s first Women’s World Cup title.
Hermoso has said she did not consent to the kiss, and the team’s players have said they will not play any more games as long as Rubiales is in charge. It was not immediately clear how FIFA’s latest intervention might affect that.
FIFA said it removed Rubiales from soccer duties for 90 days “pending the disciplinary proceedings opened” against him Thursday.
The president of Spain’s women’s league, Beatriz Álvarez, told The Associated Press that she believed this was the end of Rubiales’ soccer career. The league filed one of several official complaints against Rubiales that Spain’s government has received.
“Luis Rubiales is finished. He has dug his own grave with his acts and his words,” Álvarez said. “Whether it is because of the action of FIFA or the Spanish government, I am sure that Luis Rubiales won’t spend another minute as president of the Spanish federation.”
The federation appointed vice-president Pedro Rocha as acting president. It added in a statement that Rubiales “has complete trust in the FIFA’s procedures and will use this opportunity to start his defense so that the truth is known and he is proven innocent.”
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti had also criticised Luis Rubiales for his conduct.
Luis Rubiales kissed Spain star Jennifer Hermoso on the lips after the final.
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Luis Rubiales on Thursday after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president kissed Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips following the Women’s World Cup final last weekend. “The FIFA disciplinary committee informed Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, today that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final,” world football’s governing body said in a statement.
FIFA said the incident “may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA disciplinary code”.
Spain star Hermoso released a joint statement with union Futpro on Wednesday, which called for action to be taken against the RFEF president.
“We are working to ensure that acts such as those we have seen never go unpunished, that they are sanctioned and that the exemplary measures are adopted to protect women footballers from actions that we believe are unacceptable,” the statement said.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International offered their backing to Hermoso on Thursday.
“Amnesty International wants to show their support for the demands of the player, who has asked the (RFEF) to set underway ‘exemplary measures’ regarding the non-consensual kiss,” said the organisation in a statement.
“(We) underline that this behaviour is a form of sexual violence like any other, and cannot be justified in any way.”
Spain’s women’s football league, Liga F, has also called for Rubiales to be sacked.
The RFEF have opened an investigation into Rubiales’ conduct and are holding an emergency meeting on Friday.
Rubiales, 46, initially attacked his critics before eventually apologising but the criticism of his behaviour has not abated.
Two candidates — Brij Bhushan-loyalist Sanjay Singh and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran — are in the fray for the WFI president’s post in the elections on Saturday.
Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik led the wrestlers protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. ( Image Source : Getty Images )
New Delhi: India’s top grapplers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik are reportedly making a last-ditch effort to ensure Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s close aide, Sanjay Singh, does not become the Wrestling Federation of India chief.
Two candidates — Brij Bhushan-loyalist Sanjay Singh and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran — are in the fray for the WFI president’s post in the elections on Saturday.
The six wrestlers, who protested at Jantar Mantar for two months alleging Brij Bhushan sexually harassed women grapplers, have thrown their weight behind rival candidate Sheoran, who is also one of the witnesses in the sexual harassment case against the BJP leader.
A source close to the Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi camp told PTI on Thursday that the wrestlers had met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in the morning and are hopeful of meeting Home Minister Amit Shah later in the day.
“The wrestlers are hopeful that the Home Minister could give them time today,” said the source on the condition of anonymity.
“Some mediator has given them assurance that after the Parliament session today, the Home Minister could meet them. They (wrestlers) met the Sports Minister in the morning and he apparently told them he will look into the matter,” the source added.
“The wrestlers conveyed their misgivings about Sanjay Singh from the Brij Bhushan camp getting elected to the post of president. The wrestlers said that while they had demanded none of Brij Bhushan’s relatives should contest the WFI elections, it also implied that none of his close aides should contest the polls.
“And, Sanjay Singh is a close aide of Brij Bhushan. He is probably a business partner of the BJP leader. They have a problem with him becoming WFI chief,” the source added.
“In that case, Brij Bhushan’s son could have contested… what’s the difference?” Brij Bhushan, his son Karan and son-in-law Vishal Singh (Bihar wrestling body chief) are not in the fray for any post, following assurances given by the Sports Minister to the wrestlers that none of the BJP leader’s relatives will be part of the new WFI governing body.
“The wrestlers shared all these details with the minister. They want Anita Sheoran (a police officer from Haryana who has filed her nomination as a representative of the Odisha unit) to become WFI president and this is what they are going to request the Home Minister if they get to meet him,” the source added.
The source refused to divulge the whereabouts of wrestlers who had earlier in the day called a press conference at Rajghat but had to shelve the idea due to the imposition of Section 144 in the area owing to the Independence Day preparations.
“If somehow Brij Bhushan can be convinced (that Sanjay Singh should not contest) then the entire matter will get resolved in no time,” added the source.
“The wresters have no issues with who becomes the secretary, treasurer, joint secretary or senior vice-president. They only want that Sheoran becomes president.” A source close to the Brij Bhushan camp asked will the wrestlers withdraw all cases of sexual harassment against the BJP leader if Sanjay Singh doesn’t contest? “Does that (Sanjay Singh not contesting) mean all the cases of sexual harassment will be withdrawn against Brij Bhushan. It is now not possible to pull out of the race. We are confident of winning the WFI elections,” the source said.
Earlier in the day, Vinesh had tweeted that due to Section 144 being imposed in and around Rajghat they had to cancel their press conference that was aimed at throwing light on the recent developments.
“The police have imposed Section 144 at Rajghat and have stopped us from holding a press conference. Will finalise the time and place of the next press conference soon,” Vinesh tweeted.
Rumours also circulated that the press conference would be held at the Master Chandgiram Akhada, and Jagdish Kaliraman, a former international wrestler and son of late Chandgiram, said he “came to know through the media that a press conference was scheduled at my place.” “I was surprised to see a huge police posse at the akhada. No wrestler approached us requesting for a press conference, and none has visited the akhada. These were just rumours,” said Kaliraman.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attends the opening of the Executive Board meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday issued recommendations for the gradual return to international competitions for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, with President Thomas Bach saying their participation “works” despite the war in Ukraine.
The IOC Executive Board’s recommendations concern the return of those athletes to international competitions but not the 2024 Paris Olympics where a separate decision will be taken at a later date.
However, the recommendations triggered angry reactions from countries opposed to Russian and Belarusian participation as well as from Russia, whose Olympic Committee chief, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, called them ” absolutely unacceptable .”
Bach told a news conference after the IOC meeting: “Sports organisations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports.”
He said the recommendations for events organisers and sports federations to follow included that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as neutrals, with no flag or anthem.
They cannot take part in team events and must have a proven drugs testing record, while athletes who support the war or are contracted to their countries’ military or national security agency are excluded.
These recommendations do not include the 2024 Olympics and the potential participation of Russia and Belarus, Bach said.
“The IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time at its full discretion, without being bound by results of previous Olympic qualifiers,” Bach said. He did not say when the IOC would take that decision.
The IOC had sanctioned Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a ‘special military operation’, but it is now eager to see athletes come back across all sports and have a chance to qualify for the Paris Games.
It has set out a pathway for these competitors to earn Olympic slots through Asian qualifying but has faced headwinds, with Ukraine threatening to boycott next year’s Olympics should they compete there, even as neutrals.
