The situation of Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales, already suspended for 90 days by Fifa after his forced kiss on international Jenni Hermoso, now depends on Spanish justice, which could decide on Monday to suspend him longer.
The International Football Federation (Fifa) decided on Saturday to suspend Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), for 90 days “from all football-related activity at national and international level”, two days after opening an investigation. disciplinary against him.
According to several local media, the Spanish Sports Administrative Court (TAD) will meet on Monday to study a request for suspension of the functions of president of Rubiales, 46, formulated for its part by the government.
This suspension could last beyond Fifa’s 90 days, pending the final resolution by the TAD of the government’s complaint against Rubiales for “very serious infractions”.
“We will ask the TAD to meet on Monday. If the TAD accepts the government’s complaint, we will immediately suspend the functions of president,” Spanish Sports Minister Miquel Iceta said in an interview with the daily El Pais on Saturday.
“The only sanctions provided for by the Sports Law are to impose a fine or ineligibility for a period of between two and fifteen years,” sports lawyer Toni Roca said in an interview on Sunday. on Spanish public television.
On the criminal level, the boss of Spanish football was the subject of four complaints for sexual assault received by the Spanish public prosecutor’s office on Friday, but none come from the player for the moment, and therefore have little chance of success.
Rubiales sparked international outrage when she forced a kiss on the mouth of Jenni Hermoso on August 20 during the Women’s Worlds medal ceremony. Against all odds, he refused to resign at an extraordinary general meeting of the RFEF on Friday and counterattacked by saying that this kiss was “consensual”.
The player denied. “I felt vulnerable and victim of an aggression, an impulsive and sexist act, moved and without any consent on my part,” the 33-year-old Spanish N.10 said in a statement on Friday evening.
The Spanish federation published a press release on Saturday in which it maintains that Jenni Hermoso “lies in all her statements against the president”, before withdrawing this same press release from its website. The RFEF also indicated that Pedro Rocha Junco, vice-president, would act as interim head of the Federation during the suspension of his boss.
