[ad_1]
The disgraced former president of the Spanish football federation, Luis Rubiales, has now been accused of “seemingly forcefully kissing” an England football player on her face and “cupping and stroking” the face of a second England player before he kissed Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the Women’s World Cup this year.
Spain won the World Cup after a 1-0 win over England in the final on August 20. Rubiales was in hot soup after visuals from the trophy ceremony emerged of him forcibly kissing Spain’s Hermoso on the lips without her consent.
The latest charges emerged when a FIFA disciplinary committee report was released on Wednesday. In the report, English Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt, who was standing next to Rubiales at the dais, stated that Rubiales had acted with “a sense of complete impunity” at the trophy ceremony.
Hewitt was quoted as saying that she witnessed Rubiales “cupping and stroking” the face of England player Laura Coombs.
She added that she had found the gesture to be “slightly odd”. Then, he “seemingly forcefully kissed the English player Lucy Bronze on her face,” the report added her as saying.
Rubiales responded to the accusations by accusing Hewitt of “hypocrisy” since she too had embraced players during the ceremony. He also said it was “absolutely disgusting” that Hewitt was trying to paint him as “some sort of creep”.
Rubiales resigned as the president of Spanish football association on September 10, after his actions during the final sparked widespread condemnation and a players revolt. He was also slapped with a three-year ban in October by football’s global governing body FIFA.
The committee, on its part, said: “All incidents assessed collectively, appear to reveal a sense of complete impunity on the part of the respondent within the football environment. It was absolutely and categorically expected of him to maintain and embody the highest levels of professionalism, beyond the usual standards, especially at a moment where his country was at the apex level of women’s football.
“In this regard, the committee could not stress enough that — regardless of the emotional state he was in during and after the match — (Rubiales’) behavior was inexcusable and unacceptable, especially considering his high rank within the football ecosystem at the time.”
The committee said had considered imposing more severe sanctions on 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 (Rubiales’) actions had on the image of FIFA, women’s football and women’s sport in general,” it said.
[ad_2]
