Spain legal panel opens case against suspended soccer chief over World Cup kiss

A Spanish government legal panel is opening a case against suspended soccer chief Luis Rubiales for kissing a player on the lips without consent after Spain won the Women’s World Cup.

Miquel Iceta, acting minister of culture and sport, and the panel announced the move on Friday.

Rubiales has come in for a storm of criticism and calls for his resignation for his behavior during and after the recent World Cup final in Sydney.

FIFA has already suspended Rubiales for 90 days while it studies the case, so the Spanish decision will have little immediate effect.

Spain is looking to remove him independently of the FIFA process. Rubiales is the president of the Spanish Football Federation and a vice president of UEFA.

Iceta said that while the government cannot directly suspend Rubiales, as was its intention, it will ask the legal panel to consider suspending him provisionally.

“We still believe that his acts should be considered very serious” faults, Iceta said.

“When the eyes of the world were played on our players, his acts caused damage to our sport and our country that is difficult to repair.”

The legal panel said Rubiales’ behavior would be studied for two possible cases of serious misconduct.

The government hoped the panel would recommend very serious misconduct, a category that would allow the state’s sport body to ban him provisionally with a view to eventually declaring him unfit to hold the job.

Rubiales can be disqualified for up to two years if found guilty of serious misconduct.

The panel decision does put more pressure on Rubiales.

FIFA suspended Rubiales last Saturday, a day after he made a defiant speech claiming the kiss was consensual and he was a victim of a witch hunt. He refused to resign and was applauded by a majority of Spanish federation members present at the nationally televised meeting.

One of those who applauded, Spain men’s coach Luis de la Fuente, apologized on Friday for having clapped, saying, “I made a human error. It was inexcusable.”

The player involved, Jenni Hermoso, has denied Rubiales’ claim that she consented to what he called the “mutual” kiss during the Aug. 20 medal ceremony after the Spanish victory.

In a statement last Saturday, Hermoso said she considered herself the victim of abuse of power and accused the federation of trying to pressure her into supporting Rubiales.

The federation initially hit back by saying she was lying and it would take legal action against her. But following the FIFA suspension, the federation on Monday urged Rubiales to step down.

On Tuesday, the federation suspended Rubiales’ wages and ordered him to return the federation car, his laptop and mobile phone.

Rubiales has not been heard from since last Friday. He has been left with virtually no supporters. His mother staged a brief hunger strike in a church in southern Spain, demanding justice for her son and calling on Hermoso to rectify her stance.

Meanwhile, support for Hermoso from Spanish and international officials, athletes and celebrities was overwhelming.

On Friday, the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, said he urged Rubiales “to say sorry, explain what he did and then, without doubt, consider resigning.”

On Thursday, Spain women’s star Aitana Bonmatí was voted best player of the year and used her acceptance speech at the UEFA awards ceremony to voice support for Hermoso.

“As a society, we cannot allow the abuse of power in a working environment or disrespect,” Bonmatí said on stage in Monte Carlo. “To all women who are suffering the same thing as Jenni, we’re with you.”

Earlier in the week, the United Nations Human Rights office said in a social media message, “We join Spain’s Jenni Hermoso and all those working to end abuse and sexism in sport. Make this a turning point.”

There is no time limit for the legal panel to make a ruling in the case.