Getty Image / Catherine Ivill
Spain soccer president Luis Rubiales has been under fire after giving striker Jenni Hermoso an unsolicited kiss after Spain won the Women’s World Cup.
Now, he could be facing discipline for his actions as FIFA has officially launched an investigation.
According to TMZ, FIFA released a statement about the situation. “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has informed Rubiales that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final.”
The reason FIFA decided to launch an investigation is because they feel Rubiales may have “violated rules dictating ‘offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play,'” per TMZ.
During the World Cup championship ceremony, the Spain soccer president welcomed each player with open arms on the stage. However, he got a little too comfortable with Hermoso.
Since then, Rubiales issued an apology over the incident in a YouTube video. Here is part of what he said translated from Spanish to English.
“I made a mistake, for sure. I have to accept it. In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened, happened, in a very spontaneous way. I have to learn from this and understand that a president of an institution as important as the federation, above all in ceremonies and that kind of thing, should be more careful.”
However, most didn’t accept his apology. In fact, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, was critical of Luis Rubiales’ apology video.
On top of that, Jenni Hermoso isn’t happy with what happened at the Women’s World Cup either. TMZ reports that “FUTPRO, the union that represents Hermoso, the player who was kissed, released a statement on her behalf, saying ‘acts that should never go unpunished.'”
For now, it’s unclear what potential punishments the Spain soccer president faces for his actions at the World Cup. FIFA will come up with a resolution once the investigation is finalized.
In the meantime, the scrutiny Rubiales is facing could lead him to lose his job, per TMZ.
“Despite FIFA’s investigation still being underway, there’s a chance Rubiales loses his job before the disciplinary committee concludes its work. There are mounting calls for Luis’ job in Spain, and the Royal Spanish Football Federation is planning to meet Friday to discuss the controversy.”
More information on Rubiales’ future should come to light in the coming days.