The Spanish Football Association has launched an internal investigation and has confirmed its sexual violence protocol has been activated following the suspension of FA president Luis Rubiales.
Rubiales was hit with a huge backlash after he kissed Spain’s Jenni Hermoso on the lips following the team's 1-0 win against England in the Women’s World Cup final.
Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual and Rubiales has faced calls to resign from his role.
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Despite the controversy, Rubiales refused to stand down, vowing to ‘fight this until the end’.
However, yesterday (26 August), FIFA stepped in and suspended Rubiales for a provisional period of 90 days.
In a statement, FIFA said: “The chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Jorge Ivan Palacio (Colombia), in use of the powers granted by article 51 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), has decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level.
“This suspension, which will be effective as of today, is for an initial period of 90 days, pending the disciplinary proceedings opened against Mr. Luis Rubiales on Thursday, August 24.”
And now Maria Dolores Martinez Madrona, the RFEF's protection delegate, has confirmed the incident is also being investigated internally, too.
In a letter published today, she wrote: "Our protocol is currently activated and in the midst of investigating the events, thus we demand the utmost respect for the right to privacy and dignity of all individuals involved.
"As the protection delegate for sexual violence, my duty is to adhere to the protocol and safeguard the privacy of those affected by this incident and of the Sexual Violence Advisory Committee."
The protocol is activated once a complaint is submitted and means that those involved will meet with the protection delegate.
Yesterday, Spanish boss Jorge Vilda released a statement to condemn Rubiales’ ‘inappropriate behaviour’.
"I regret deeply that the victory of Spanish women's football has been harmed by the inappropriate behaviour that our until now top leader, Luis Rubiales, has carried out and that he himself has recognised,” he said.
"There is no doubt that it is unacceptable and does not reflect at all the principles and values that I defend in my life, in sport in general and in football in particular. I condemn without doubt any macho attitude, [which should be] far from an advanced and developed society.
"A clearly undesirable climate has been generated, far from what should have been a great celebration of Spanish sport and women's sport. I reiterate my unwavering commitment to promoting a sport that is a model of equality and respect in our society."
Topics: Sport, World News, World Cup
Claire Reid