The president of the English federation (FA), Debbie Hewitt, accused the former president of the Spanish federation, Luis Rubiales, of “inappropriate” conduct with the English players at the trophy ceremony of the last World Cup. Australia and New Zealand. Hewitt spoke as a witness in the FIFA disciplinary case against Rubiales for his attitude during the World Cup final between Spain and England in which, in addition to making obscene gestures during the match, he kissed Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth without consent. , player from Spain.
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In a report published yesterday by FIFA, Hewitt, who was next to Rubiales at the medal ceremony, stated that the Spaniard’s tone of voice was “unpleasant and unnecessarily aggressive” with FIFA workers, before accusing him of misconduct. inappropriate with England players. According to Hewitt, Rubiales “caressed” Laura Coombs’ face and “apparently forcibly kissed” Lucy Bronze on her face. Regarding the moment in which the Spanish players went up to collect their medals, Hewitt noted that he “grabbed them very tightly”, some of them “caressed their backs”, “grabbed their arms” and “lifted them off the ground”.
Rubiales told FIFA’s disciplinary committee Debbie Hewitt portraying him as “some sort of creep is absolutely disgusting.”
Rubiales was later banned for 3 years for the enforced kiss on Jenni Hermoso.
Here is the evidence to FIFA from FA chair Hewitt pic.twitter.com/uRpbTLpRng
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) December 6, 2023
“This made me very uncomfortable and embarrassed,” Hewitt added. Rubiales responded to Hewitt’s words by assuring that it is something “incredible” and accused her of “having prejudices” against him, in addition to ensuring that she is a hypocrite because she also hugged the players on her team. “Applying the same logic, her hugs could also be understood as non-consensual physical contact. The hypocrisy is evident,” Rubiales said during the hearing. Regarding her attitude towards Coombs, he justified it by saying that he tried to console her because she had been injured during the final, she had needed stitches on her head and was wearing a bandage in that area. FIFA decided to disqualify Rubiales for three years from carrying out any football activity, as a result of her behavior during the final of the last World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Yesterday, the FIFA Disciplinary Commission made public the report in which it explains the reasons for suspending Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level for three years, and emphasizes that “it was tempted to impose more severe sanctions.” . This commission thus resolved at the end of October the disciplinary file opened against Rubiales on August 24 after the events that occurred after the final of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, in which Spain was proclaimed champion after beating England. The former Spanish president touched his genitals in the box and later, during the medal ceremony, he kissed the player Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth on the podium.
At first, Rubiales was provisionally suspended for a period of 90 days and on October 30 he received notification of the Disciplinary Commission’s decision to sanction him for three years. When referring to the non-consensual kiss with Jennifer Hermoso after the World Cup final, FIFA points out that “the accused did not apologize to the player, neither publicly nor, at least, privately”; and that “he persisted in his denial (publicly and in the context of these proceedings), maintaining (against the player’s unequivocal statement) that the kiss was consensual.” He adds that Rubiales “publicly insulted all those who saw this incident differently,” said it was “a kiss between two friends celebrating something,” and called them “idiots and stupid.”
It also underlines that “the accused used his position as president of the RFEF in an aggressive and totally inappropriate manner to publish – on behalf of the RFEF – statements using quotes from the player that were not written or authorized by her, and issued an official statement (which was later deleted) threatening the player (among others) with legal action.” Furthermore, the Commission points out that Rubiales used the general assembly of the RFEF “as a forum to defend himself and distort the reality of the kiss in his favor.” “The defendant and/or her entourage pressured and/or coerced (emotionally) the player on numerous occasions to make her speak and take a position in her favor.”
Furthermore, “he has been the subject of criminal proceedings in Spain as a result of the kiss.” Likewise, the Commission emphasizes that “it could not ignore the impact of the defendants’ actions on the player’s mental health and career, the latter having stressed that she still feels ‘truly humiliated by everything that has happened and for the media exposure and public scrutiny to which she and her family have been subjected.” The Commission recalls that Hermoso “has been in contact with the psychologists of the Pachuca Club, as well as with a psychologist he trusts.”
The Commission then emphasizes that, “given that the incidents occurred in the context of the final match of the most prestigious women’s competition, the conduct described above by the defendant has unfortunately found significant international media coverage.” “In effect, instead of focusing on the international success of the World Cup or the first title of the Spanish team in said competition, the focus of attention was on the actions of the defendant,” he states. All of this, he adds, motivated “a series of incidents that show behavior that is clearly incompatible with each and every one of the values that FIFA defends and that football should encompass. With such behavior, the defendant unfortunately ruined the World Cup experience for many, starting with the player and her teammates who had just become world champions.”
“Therefore, the Commission is firmly convinced that the defendant, by his behavior, brought the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute worldwide. As such, the sanctions imposed reflect all of the aforementioned (aggravating) circumstances,” he states. “In light of the above and after carefully considering all of the evidence at its disposal, the Commission determined that a ban on participation in any football-related activity was the most appropriate and proportionate measure with which to sanction the respondent in light of the infractions committed,” he explains.
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2023-12-07 11:13:50
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