Soccer's ruling world body FIFA said on Saturday it had suspended Spanish federation chief Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities for three months as it investigates an incident in which he kissed player Jenni Hermoso. - REUTERS
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00:00 Soccer's ruling world body FIFA said on Saturday it had suspended Spanish federation chief
00:06 Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities for three months. That's while it investigates
00:12 an incident in which he kissed player Jenny Hermoso on the lips after Spain's Women's
00:17 World Cup victory.
00:19 The suspension from national and international activities takes effect immediately from Saturday.
00:26 Just 24 hours earlier, Rubiales had been defiant over the kiss, arguing it was consensual and
00:32 repeatedly saying that he would not resign, adding that what he called "false feminists"
00:39 were "trying to kill me".
00:42 The kiss has been condemned as unwanted by Hermoso, her teammates and the Spanish government.
00:48 Earlier on Saturday, the federation he heads said it would stick by him. However, after
00:53 FIFA's decision was announced, a spokesperson for the Royal Spanish Football Federation
00:58 said it respected all FIFA's pronouncements.
01:01 In a statement hours before the FIFA move, the federation had said it would show there
01:06 had been lies told about what happened by Hermoso or people speaking for her. Hermoso
01:12 said she did not consent to the kiss and felt "vulnerable" and the victim of an aggression.
01:18 The Spanish government cannot fire Rubiales but has strongly denounced his actions and
01:23 said on Friday it was seeking to get him suspended. The Spain women's team has also mutinied,
01:29 saying they would not play internationals while Rubiales remains head of the federation.