FIFA has released an official statement after the Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales controversially kissed Spain's women star Jennifer Hermoso on the world stage last weekend.
FIFA has confirmed that it has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Royal Spanish Football Federation chief following his inappropriate conduct towards the forward at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup winners' ceremony.
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In a statement on Thursday, FIFA said: "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 of the FIFA Women's World Cup™ on 20 August 2023.
"The events may constitute violations of article 13 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will only provide further information on these disciplinary proceedings once it has issued a final decision on the matter. FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behaviour to the contrary."
Rubiales apologised on Monday after initially calling those who criticized his actions "stupid people". Hermoso has since taken the matter to FUTPRO, a union representing female footballers in Spain, and the organisation described the bizarre incident as "a form of sexual violence women suffer on a daily basis".
Despite Hermoso confirming on Instagram that she did not like what Rubiales, RFEF released a contradicting statement suggesting that the player was not bothered by the incident as it was a normal way to celebrate.
Reports are now indicating that the FC Barcelona star did not say what she was claimed to have said on the RFEF statement.
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