FIFA bans Spain's Luis Rubiales 3 years for misconduct at Women's World Cup final

By Doug McIntyre
Updated Oct 30, 2023 11:09 am ET

FIFA suspended former Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales from "all football-related activities" for three years for "the events that occurred during the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup" in August, the sport’s global governing body said Monday in a statement.

Rubiales planted an unwanted kiss on the lips of Spanish women’s national team star Jenni Hermoso after La Roja defeated England 1-0 in the World Cup final in Sydney, Australia on Aug. 20. Earlier, while seated in a luxury box next to Spain’s Queen Letizia and her daughter, 16-year-old Princess Sofía, he grabbed his crotch after the final whistle sealed the country’s first world title on the women’s side.

Rubiales had previously been banned for 90 days while FIFA investigated the incidents, which drew worldwide condemnation and sparked Spain’s version of the 2017 "Me Too" movement in the United States that highlighted the pervasive sexual harassment and sexual abuse of women in the entertainment industry and beyond.

The punishment levied on Rubiales on Monday "remains subject to a possible appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee," the organization's statement said.

The 46-year-old Rubiales remains under criminal investigation in Spain. Prosecutors there allege that he committed sexual assault and coercion, the latter charge for attempting to pressure Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual. A judge overseeing his case issued a restraining order against Rubiales that forbids him from contacting Hermoso, who insists that the contact was unwanted, while the investigation is ongoing. Rubiales has denied any wrongdoing.

Rubiales initially refused to step down from his post atop the Royal Spanish Football Federation but eventually resigned in September amid intense public pressure.

The fallout has had wider reaching implications. Jorge Vilda, the controversial coach of the World Cup winners, was fired by the Spanish federation in early September after national team players refused to play for him anymore. Last year, more than a dozen members of the squad claimed that Vilda's methods were abusive. 

Vilda’s replacement, Montse Tomé, didn’t select Hermoso for Spain’s first roster following the World Cup triumph, saying at the time that the omission was "the best way to protect her." Hermoso returned to the national team last week for the first time since the World Cup, scoring the only goal in Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy in the UEFA Women’s Nations League group stage.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men's and women's national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.