GENEVA—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 Mr. Rubiales refused to resign, despite intense pressure from the Spanish government, women players, soccer clubs, and officials. Mr. Rubiales’ conduct has overshadowed the enormous accomplishment of Spain’s first Women’s World Cup title.
Ms. 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 Mr. Rubiales is in charge. It was not immediately clear how FIFA’s latest intervention might affect that.
FIFA said it removed Mr. 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 Mr. Rubiales’ soccer career. The league filed one of several official complaints against Mr. Rubiales that Spain’s government has received.
“Luis Rubiales is finished,” Ms. 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 Mr. 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.”
The federation has threatened legal action against Ms. Hermoso for refusing to accept Mr. Rubiales’ version of the kiss that happened at the on-field medal and trophy presentation last Sunday.
FIFA has given no timetable for a ruling. The body’s disciplinary judges can impose sanctions ranging from warnings and fines to suspensions from the sport.
Mr. Rubiales, who is also UEFA vice president, has been leading the joint bid by Spain, Portugal, Morocco—and possibly Ukraine—to host the 2030 World Cup. His suspension means he cannot attend UEFA meetings or vote in October to decide the winning bids for the 2028 and 2032 European Championships.
Also Saturday, FIFA disciplinary judge Jorge Palacio ordered Mr. Rubiales and the federation not to contact Ms. Hermoso, FIFA said in a statement. Ms. Hermoso had said the federation pressured her to publicly back Mr. Rubiales.
Spain’s government—via its Higher Council for Sports—filed a lawsuit Friday alleging that Mr. Rubiales violated the country’s sports laws on two counts: for an alleged abuse of power and for allegedly” committing acts that tarnished the dignity and decorum of a sporting event. If found guilty, Mr. Rubiales could be ruled unfit to hold office.
Spain’s Secretary of State for Sports Víctor Francos, who heads the sports council, said FIFA’s decision “reinforces and reaffirms that the path that the government of Spain announced yesterday was correct.”
At an emergency general assembly of the federation on Friday, Mr. Rubiales had dug in, painting himself as the victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists” and receiving applause from the mostly male crowd.
Ms. Hermoso responded that Mr. Rubiales was lying about the kiss being consensual and that she had felt intimidated.
The federation backed Mr. Rubiales, saying he was telling the truth.
While Mr. Rubiales held his ground, federation vice president Rafael del Amo, who had been in charge of women’s soccer, resigned. Four assistant coaches for Spain’s senior team, plus two coaches of the women’s youth teams, and five other staff members for the senior and youth women’s teams also resigned Saturday.
Ms. Hermoso received an ovation from the crowd when she attended a preseason match Saturday for Atletico Madrid, the club where the 33-year-old forward started her long and successful career. Players of Atletico and visitors AC Milan posed before a banner reading “(We Are) With You Jennifer Hermoso.”
Mr. Rubiales, 46, holds the No. 3-ranking elected position in the UEFA, which pays him 250,000 euros ($270,000) annually plus expenses. Mr. Rubiales made 339,000 euros ($365,000) in 2021 after taxes for presiding over the Spanish federation.
He was elected to the executive committee by UEFA member federations in 2019 and was promoted to the vice presidency by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin.
Neither UEFA nor Mr. Čeferin have commented on the Rubiales scandal.
Mr. Rubiales, whose term runs through next summer, is a former player who led the Spanish affiliate of the world’s players union for eight years before being elected in 2018 to replace his federation predecessor, who ended up behind bars for corruption.
His tenure has been marked by moves to modernize Spanish soccer as well as scandal. He revamped the Copa del Rey to make it a shorter and more exciting competition. But his overhaul of the Spanish Super Cup, which consisted in taking it to Saudi Arabia for $40 million a year, was criticized by human rights groups and scrutinized by authorities. Last year, Spain’s state prosecutors’ office announced it was opening a probe into the contracts behind the Spanish Super Cup contracts.
