Soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, suspended Spanish federation chief Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities for three months on Saturday as it investigates allegations he gave a player an unwanted kiss on the lips after Spain’s women won the World Cup.
FIFA had opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales two days ago over the incident with player Jenni Hermoso last Sunday in Sydney, Australia, that has caused an uproar among players and fans. Rubiales’s suspension from national and international activities takes immediate effect, it said on Saturday.
Rubiales said he would use the probe to show his innocence.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued a statement for him, saying Rubiales “will defend himself legally in the competent bodies, has full confidence in the FIFA bodies and reiterates that, in this way, he is being given the opportunity to begin his defence so that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven.”
Jorge Vilda, the coach of the Spanish women’s soccer team, said on Saturday that he regretted the “inappropriate behaviour” of Rubiales.
Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso is seen in a Women’s World Cup match in Wellington, N.Z., on July 31. The Spanish soccer federation had threatened legal action over Hermoso’s comments that she did not consent to Rubiales’s kiss. (John Cowpland/The Associated Press)
Victor Francos, head of Spain’s state-run National Sports Council, said the government supported FIFA’s decision.
Rubiales, 46, has been defiant over the kiss — which has been condemned as unwanted by Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government — arguing it was consensual.
Earlier on Saturday the RFEF had said it would stick by Rubiales as he sought to stay on, but a federation spokesperson said after the FIFA announcement: “We respect all the pronouncements of FIFA.”
Gary Lineker, a former England and Barcelona player, summed up much of the public reaction to FIFA’s move, posting in Spanish on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Por fin! (At last).”
Spain’s women’s soccer team won’t play until federation head resigns
Spain’s Women’s World Cup champion soccer team say they won’t play until the head of the country’s soccer federation steps down after he non-consensually kissed player Jenni Hermoso.
Rubiales played mainly in Spain’s second division in a career spanning 12 years. When he was elected to lead the RFEF in 2018, he promised to modernize its structure, increase turnover and make the federation more transparent.
Feminist groups in Spain staged demonstrations in Madrid, Santander and Logrono on Saturday calling for his resignation.
At a federation meeting on Friday where he had been widely expected to step down, Rubiales instead refused to quit, seeking to defend his behaviour and calling the kiss “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual.”
People protest outside the Royal Spanish Football Federation in Las Rozas on Friday. (Miguel Gutierrez/Reuters)
Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss and felt “vulnerable and the victim of an aggression.”
In a statement hours before FIFA’s move on Saturday, the federation said it would show there had been lies told about what happened by Hermoso or people speaking for her and that it would “initiate the corresponding legal actions” to defend Rubiales’s honour, without specifying what that would entail.
The Spanish government cannot fire Rubiales but has strongly denounced his actions. On Friday, it said it was seeking to get him suspended using a legal procedure before a sports tribunal.
“Impunity for macho actions is over. Rubiales cannot continue in office,” acting Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz wrote on social media on Friday.
Gender issues have become a prominent topic in Spain in recent years. Tens of thousands of women have taken part in street marches protesting sexual abuse and violence, and the Socialist-led coalition government has presided over legal reforms, including around equal pay or abortion rights.
Players revolt now includes coaching staff
It was not clear how the FIFA action would affect a players’ revolt against Rubiales that expanded to include coaching staff on Saturday.
In a joint statement sent via their FUTPRO union on Friday evening, all 23 of Spain’s cup-winning squad, including Hermoso, as well as dozens of other squad members, said they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation.
In the same statement, Hermoso denied Rubiales’s contention that the kiss was consensual, writing: “I want to clarify that, as was seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me and, of course, in no case did I seek to lift the president.”
Spanish players celebrate after defeating England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 20. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)
On Saturday evening, Vilda said in a statement to the Spanish news agency EFE: “I am deeply sorry that the victory of Spanish women’s football team has been harmed by the inappropriate behaviour that our until now top manager, Luis Rubiales.”
Earlier on Saturday, 11 members of the national women’s team’s coaching staff offered their resignations to the RFEF in a statement where they supported Hermoso and condemned Rubiales.
They complained of “the discomfort” of having been required to attend the federation assembly on Friday and said that “several female members of the technical staff were forced to sit in the front row … to create the impression that they shared the RFEF president’s line.”
Rubiales, left, speaks at a lectern during an emergency general assembly meeting of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in Las Rozas on Friday. (RFEF/Europa Press/The Associated Press)
The RFEF statement early on Saturday was accompanied by four photos of the event last Sunday that it said illustrated Rubiales’s contention that Hermoso had lifted him in the air before the kiss.
Reuters could not immediately reach an official from FUTPRO for comment.
At the federation’s emergency meeting on Friday, Rubiales repeatedly said he would not quit and complained that “false feminists” were “trying to kill me,” drawing applause from the predominantly male audience.
Luis de la Fuente, the men’s national team manager who could be seen applauding Rubiales on Friday, issued a statement on Saturday condemning “the actions of Luis Rubiales that did not respect the minimum protocol for such [World Cup] celebrations and are not constructive nor appropriate for someone representing all of Spanish soccer.”
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
