Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, or want a recap, here's a summary:

• Fifa has slapped a 90-day suspension on Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation
• This follows the controversy that erupted after he kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup final medal ceremony
• He says it was a consensual kiss – something Hermoso strongly denies in posts on social media
• On Friday Rubiales had defiantly refused to resign despite fierce criticism by other footballers, the media and even the Spanish prime minister
• Earlier today the Spanish FA backed Rubiales' version of events, threatening to take legal action against Hermoso
• It also published photos of the embrace at the time of the kiss, which it said showed the player had lifted Rubiales off the ground. She says she did not lift him up

Image source, Reuters

Fifa's disciplinary committee has suspended Luis Rubiales, the head of Spain's football federation, from "all football-related activities" for 90 days. It has also banned him from contacting Jenni Hermoso, the Spanish midfielder he kissed on the lips.

But how does it have the power to do this?

Well, Fifa is football's world governing body.

Its membership comprises of 211 national football associations - among then the Royal Spanish Football Federation, (RFEF).

It's the organising body for the World Cup, held every four years (Rubiales kissed Hermoso at the end of this year's Women's World Cup final).

Fifa often takes an active role in football in individual countries, and on Thursday, it said that it had opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales (that process is ongoing).

Before the news of Rubiales’ suspension, we heard that Spain’s football federation had threatened to take legal action against the player at the centre of controversy - Jenni Hermoso.

Hermoso said on Friday she had not consented to Rubiales kissing her, but the federation questioned her version of events.

"The evidence is conclusive," it said - Rubiales "has not lied" about the incident

In its statement, the Spanish federation published images of Hermoso’s embrace with Rubiales, external, with an analysis of each, which it claims demonstrates that she applied the force to lift Rubiales' feet off the ground just before the kiss.

She says she did not lift him up.

Here are two of the pictures.

Image source, RFEF

Image source, RFEF

Ali Abbas Ahmadi
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Spain’s women’s national team had called for institutional change several times before the latest incident following the World Cup final, leading to friction between the players and the football federation.

Most significantly, a mutiny by several top players in 2022 led to Spain playing the World Cup without ten of their top players – which, despite the odds, they managed to win – beating England 1-0 in the final last weekend.

In October 2022, 15 players – including several starters such as Aitana Bonmati, Patri Guijarro and Mapi Leon – wrote a letter to the football federation in opposition to first team coach Jorge Vilda. They said they would not play for the team unless "significant" concerns over their "emotional state" and "health" were addressed.

While the players refused to speak about this in public, rumours have circulated that Vilda was too controlling and his training methods were inadequate. They did however make clear that they never called on Vilda to quit.

The conflict has borne out ever since then, which meant ten of their top players did not make it to the World Cup. Only three - including Bonmati, who was the tournament’s best player – returned to the side for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Image source, Getty Images

The player at the centre of all of this is Jenni Hermoso - a highly decorated footballer who is considered one of Spain's best ever female footballers. Here is a quick look at her career:

• Born in 1990, Hermoso currently plays for the Mexican club side CF Pachuca
• She is the granddaughter of Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Antonio Hernandez, and joined the Madrid-based club's youth system at 12 years old. She made her senior debut in 2012
• Her career took her to several teams in Spain and across Europe. She spent most of her career at FC Barcelona, where she played from 2013 to 2017 and from 2019 until last year
• Hermoso is widely regarded as one of the best forwards in the women’s game, and is considered a legend for both Spain and Barcelona
• She is the top goalscorer for both teams, and has scored 181 goals for Barcelona and 51 for Spain
• Hermoso has won six Spanish league titles, the Champions League, and the World Cup, among other honours. She won the Pichichi – the award given for the player who scores the most goals in the Spanish league – a record five times

Below is Fifa's statement in full, after suspending Spanish football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales. We have bolded important parts of the statement ourselves.

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.

Likewise, the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and in order to preserve, among other factors, the fundamental rights of the national soccer team player Ms. Jennifer Hermoso and the good order of the disciplinary proceedings before this disciplinary body, has issued two additional directives (article 7 FDC) by which he orders Mr. Luis Rubiales to refrain, through himself or third parties, from contacting or attempting to contact the professional player of the Spanish national football team Ms. Jennifer Hermoso or her close environment.

• Read the full statement on Fifa's website, external

Image source, Reuters

Fifa says it has communicated its decision to Luis Rubiales, the Spanish football federation and the European football association (Uefa).

It adds that it will not comment on any disciplinary action until proceedings against Rubiales are concluded.

Fifa had already opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales for his actions during the Women's World Cup medal presentation on 24 August, when he kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips.

She says she did not consent to the kiss - Rubiales says it was consensual.

Fifa says in its statement that Rubiales and the Spanish football federation cannot contact or attempt to contact Jenni Hermoso or those close to her.

In the last few moments we've heard that Luis Rubiales has been suspended from "all football-related activities at national and international level" for an initial period of 90 days by Fifa's Disciplinary Committee.

Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales has a lot of support within the organisation, Spanish sports journalist Semra Hunter tells the BBC - as was visible during the applause he received for his speech yesterday in defence of kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips.

A lot of people in Spain are therefore saying the federation are "complicit" in Rubiales' actions, and that this incident is symptomatic of the attitude towards women at the top of Spanish football, she says.

Some people want the whole federation to resign, and want a new set of members who can take the women's game forward, she adds.

There is some support for Rubiales across Spanish society - but there is far more for Hermoso, she says.

Image source, EPA

Irene Montero, the Spanish equlities minister, on Friday evening posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) in which she reiterated her government's support for Jenni Hermoso, external.

"Our society is outraged by this kiss that happened without consent and with the sexist attitude of Luis Rubiales and all the people that applauded him in his response," she said.

"But the most important thing is that the players in our team and especially Jenni Hermoso know that they are not alone and that our duty as institutions and as government is to stand with them as they exercise their rights.

"We will do this for Jenni Hermoso but also for all women who have experienced unconsented kisses, harassment in their workplaces or any other form of sexual violence."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

In addition to his post as Spanish FA president, Luis Rubiales is also a member of the powerful executive committee of European football's governing body, UEFA.

There could be a situation where even if Rubiales was removed from his position with the Spanish FA, he would remain on UEFA's executive committee until his run is supposed to end in 2027.

UEFA have offered no view about the present situation, but speaking to people who are part of the organisation, there is incredulity from some that Rubiales has not resigned.

Image source, RFEF

During this row, Luis Rubiales has defended himself by claiming that Jenni Hermoso lifted him off the ground during the trophy presentation (their embrace is pictured above).

"Jenni was the one who lifted me up," he said during a Spanish football federation meeting yesterday.

"I told her to 'forget about the penalty (that she missed in the World Cup final)' and I said to her 'a little peck?' and she said 'OK'."

He then planted the kiss on her lips.

Hermoso denied the entire conversation in a statement on Friday, saying , externalthat Rubiales' words were "categorically false and part of the manipulative culture that he himself has generated".

She said that "in no case did I seek to raise (lift) the president".

This morning, the Spanish football federation called Hermoso's statement "lies", and said it would take legal action over her comments. It repeated the claim that she applied force to lift Rubiales' feet off the ground.

Image source, FIFA via Getty Images

So who is Luis Rubiales, and why is he a controversial figure?

• Born in 1977 in the Canary Islands, he played football predominantly in Spain’s lower leagues and eventually finished in Scotland
• He became the president of the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) in 2010. Ex-employee Tamara Ramos recently claimed Rubiales humiliated her during her time at the AFE - which the Spanish football federation has refuted, external
• Rubiales became the boss of the federation in 2018. His tenure began controversially, when he sacked Spain manager Julen Lopetegui just two days before their 2018 men's World Cup opener after discovering Lopetegui had agreed to coach Real Madrid after the tournament
• In 2019, he was accused by architect Yasmine Eid-Macchet of assault and non-payment when she was renovating his house. Rubiales was acquitted, external in 2021
• He was accused of a conflict of interest when messages between him and former player Gerard Pique were leaked in which they were discussing a deal to play the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia - which he denied
• Rubiales has been accused of claiming rent expenses, external from the federation and of recording compromising calls, external with government officials - again, he has denied this
• Most recently, Rubiales has continued to back divisive women’s coach Jorge Vilda – against whom several players continue to protest despite his World Cup victory – and has reportedly offered him a lucrative new contract extension, external

Read more about Rubiales here.

Image source, Reuters

As it stands, the world champions' next game is due to be against Sweden in the Nations League on 22 September.

So far, 81 players have said they won't play in the national team while Luis Rubiales is the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. That includes the entire squad who won the Women's World Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Hermoso released a statement last night in response to Rubiales' claims that the kiss was consensual.

Issued via Instagram, external, Spain’s all-time record women’s goalscorer said that Rubiales’ actions have "cut short” the celebrations following Spain’s World Cup victory.

She said Rubiales’ claims – that he kissed her on the lips with consent – are “categorically false and part of the manipulative culture that he himself has generated”.

“I want to make it clear that at no time did the conversation to which Mr. Luis Rubiales refers to in his address take place, and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual”.

Image source, RFEF handout

Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales insisted he would not step down during a meeting of the country’s football association yesterday.

He was expected to resign from after he was criticised for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony last weekend.

"I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign," said a defiant Rubiales.

He claimed that it “was a spontaneous kiss, mutual and euphoric, and, above all, consensual" - adding that he had asked Hermoso before kissing her.

The midfielder later rejected his claims.

The Spanish football federation says it will take legal action over Jenni Hermoso's comments about its president Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales has refused to resign after kissing forward Hermoso on the lips following Spain's Women's World Cup final win over England in Sydney.

Hermoso said on Friday she did not consent, but the federation has questioned her version of events.

"The evidence is conclusive," it said. "Mr President has not lied."

Read more here

Image source, Getty Images

The Lionesses – who Spain beat last Sunday to win the World Cup – have come out in support of Hermoso.

A statement released by the England women’s team that was shared by several players said that “We all stand with you, @jennihermoso and all the players of the Spanish women’s team”.

The statement adds that “people shouldn’t need convincing to take action against any form of harassment”.

The statement was shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) by several England players, including Leah Williamson, external and Ella Toone.

Image source, Reuters

Spain’s monumental victory in the Women’s World Cup has been soured by the actions of Luis Rubiales, the head of the Spanish football association, during the trophy presentation right after the final. Here’s what happened:

20 Aug - During the ceremony following the World Cup final, Spanish midfielder Jenni Hermoso was first embraced and then kissed on the lips by Luis Rubiales

Hermoso later reacted to the kiss during a live stream, and said she “did not enjoy” it

21 Aug - Rubiales issued an apology saying he was “sorry for those who were offended” after being fiercely criticised by other footballers, the media and even by the Spanish prime minister, some of whom called on him to step down

24 Aug – Football’s governing body Fifa began a disciplinary inquiry into Rubiales’ actions

25 Aug - A defiant Rubiales insisted at a Spanish football association meeting that he would not resign, and called the kiss “consensual”

25 Aug – Later that day, Hermoso released a statement, external on Instagram refuting Rubiales’ claims saying that “at no time...was his kiss ever consensual”

25 Aug – 81 Spanish players – including all 23 players who went to the Women’s World Cup - have said they will not play for Spain’s women’s team until Rubiales is removed from his position

26 Aug - The Spanish football federation has threatened to take legal action against Hermoso over her "lies" about the kiss