Disgraced former Spanish Football Federation&nbsp;chief Luis Rubiale has claimed he is facing jail time over the supposed 'non-consensual kiss', only because 'he's a man'.&nbsp;Rubiales has been embroiled in legal troubles after he kissed&nbsp;World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips&nbsp;last year.&nbsp;

Speaking to&nbsp;La Sexta&nbsp;on the 'kissgate', Rubiales said he felt unfairly singled out over the whole issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I have a clear conscience. Things have become crazy. A small thing has gone on to devour a person. I wanted to be calm and get out of the spotlight. False feminism? What I said is said. I defend egalitarianism. Feminism advocates supporting women to achieve equality," said Rubiales.&nbsp;

"For me there is no crime. It's my opinion. I asked her the question [over the kiss] and she said: 'Okay'. You can't question Hermoso. I can. Is it because I'm a man? They want to curtail freedom of thought.”

Rubiales added that he could not "understand that anyone could think this was a sexual assault".&nbsp;

While Rubiales claimed innocence,&nbsp;Hermoso said after the incident that the Spanish FA chief's action had left her "vulnerable and a victim of aggression". She described&nbsp;Rubiales' kiss as&nbsp;a sexist and impulsive act which had no consent from her side.

<h2>Spanish prosecutors demand jail time</h2>

The Spanish prosecutors have sought a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales. They also want him to pay&nbsp;$108,000&nbsp;in compensation to Hermoso whilst demanding that he be specifically disqualified from working in the sporting field.

The prosecutors want the court to prohibit Rubiales&nbsp;from&nbsp;communicating with the Hermoso and approaching her within a radius of 200 metres for four years. Earlier, reports claimed that Rubiales had coerced the Spanish player to come to his defence.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee last year banned Luis from all&nbsp;football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of Article 13 of the FIFA&nbsp;Disciplinary Code.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/former-spanish-football-chief-luis-rubiales-may-face-25-years-in-jail-over-non-consensual-kiss-704919">Also read |&nbsp;Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales may face 2.5 years in jail for non-consensual kiss</a>

<h2>Rubiaels detained in corruption case</h2>

Rubiaels' statement comes a day after he was detained by the police in Madrid over a corruption investigation.&nbsp;Rubiales was in the Dominican Republic for the last few days and arrested upon his arrival as police allege that he received&nbsp;illegal commissions while negotiating a lucrative deal to stage the Spanish Super Cup competition in Saudi Arabia.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/football-former-spanish-fa-chief-luis-rubiales-arrested-in-corruption-investigation-707305">Football: Former Spanish FA chief Luis Rubiales arrested on corruption charges</a>

Earlier, the Madrid Police had conducted raids at Rubiales’ residence in Granada - in addition to the RFEF's headquarters in Madrid.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Disgraced former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiale has claimed he is facing jail time over the supposed 'non-consensual kiss', only because 'he's a man'.

Disgraced former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiale has claimed he is facing jail time over the supposed 'non-consensual kiss', only because 'he's a man'. Rubiales has been embroiled in legal troubles after he kissed World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips last year. Speaking to La Sexta on the 'kissgate', Rubiales said he felt unfairly singled out over the whole issue. “I have a clear conscience. Things have become crazy. A small thing has gone on to devour a person. I wanted to be calm and get out of the spotlight. False feminism? What I said is said. I defend egalitarianism. Feminism advocates supporting women to achieve equality," said Rubiales. "For me there is no crime. It's my opinion. I asked her the question [over the kiss] and she said: 'Okay'. You can't question Hermoso. I can. Is it because I'm a man? They want to curtail freedom of thought.” Rubiales added that he could not "understand that anyone could think this was a sexual assault". While Rubiales claimed innocence, Hermoso said after the incident that the Spanish FA chief's action had left her "vulnerable and a victim of aggression". She described Rubiales' kiss as a sexist and impulsive act which had no consent from her side. Spanish prosecutors demand jail time The Spanish prosecutors have sought a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales. They also want him to pay $108,000 in compensation to Hermoso whilst demanding that he be specifically disqualified from working in the sporting field. The prosecutors want the court to prohibit Rubiales from communicating with the Hermoso and approaching her within a radius of 200 metres for four years. Earlier, reports claimed that Rubiales had coerced the Spanish player to come to his defence. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee last year banned Luis from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. Also read | Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales may face 2.5 years in jail for non-consensual kiss Rubiaels detained in corruption case Rubiaels' statement comes a day after he was detained by the police in Madrid over a corruption investigation. Rubiales was in the Dominican Republic for the last few days and arrested upon his arrival as police allege that he received illegal commissions while negotiating a lucrative deal to stage the Spanish Super Cup competition in Saudi Arabia. Football: Former Spanish FA chief Luis Rubiales arrested on corruption charges Earlier, the Madrid Police had conducted raids at Rubiales’ residence in Granada - in addition to the RFEF's headquarters in Madrid. (With inputs from agencies)

Disgraced ex-Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales claims he's facing jail sentence because 'he's a man'

Former Spanish Football Federation chief&nbsp;Luis Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, FIFA announced on Monday (September 30).&nbsp;

Rubiales had&nbsp;been embroiled in a major controversy after&nbsp;he kissed Spain’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips, without her consent.&nbsp;

“The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code," FIFA said in a statement.&nbsp;

“This case relates to the events that occurred during the final of the Fifa Women’s World Cup on 20 August 2023, for which Mr Rubiales had been provisionally suspended for an initial period of 90 days. Mr Rubiales has been notified of the terms of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee’s decision today," it added.

The governing body for football said it was absolutely committed to "respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld".&nbsp;

FIFA said&nbsp;Rubiales had 10 days in which he can "request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com".&nbsp;

"The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the Fifa appeal committee."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/who-is-controversial-spanish-football-official-luis-rubiales-629155">Also read |&nbsp;Who is controversial Spanish football official Luis Rubiales?</a>

<h2>I wasn't respected:&nbsp;Hermoso</h2>

After the incident, Hermoso said the incident had left her "vulnerable and a victim of aggression". She described&nbsp;Rubiales' kiss as&nbsp;a sexist and impulsive act which had no consent from her side.

"Simply put I was not respected,” she added.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-spanish-football-chief-luis-rubiales-steps-down-635026">Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Spanish football Chief Luis Rubiales steps down</a>

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Despite strong public backlash,&nbsp;Rubiales had initially refused to resign from his position, before succumbing to the pressure. He also claimed the kiss was consensual and vowed to defend his innocence in a statement published last month.&nbsp;

“I have faith in the truth and I will do everything in my power so that it prevails," he said.&nbsp;

The incident overshadowed what was a historic World Cup win for the Spanish side in Australia.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

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Former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, FIFA announced on Monday (September 30).

Former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales has been banned from all football-related activities for three years, FIFA announced on Monday (September 30). Rubiales had been embroiled in a major controversy after he kissed Spain’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso on the lips, without her consent. “The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has banned Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), from all football-related activities at national and international levels for three years, having found that he acted in breach of article 13 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code," FIFA said in a statement. “This case relates to the events that occurred during the final of the Fifa Women’s World Cup on 20 August 2023, for which Mr Rubiales had been provisionally suspended for an initial period of 90 days. Mr Rubiales has been notified of the terms of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee’s decision today," it added. The governing body for football said it was absolutely committed to "respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld". FIFA said Rubiales had 10 days in which he can "request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com". "The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the Fifa appeal committee." Also read | Who is controversial Spanish football official Luis Rubiales? I wasn't respected: Hermoso After the incident, Hermoso said the incident had left her "vulnerable and a victim of aggression". She described Rubiales' kiss as a sexist and impulsive act which had no consent from her side. "Simply put I was not respected,” she added. Watch | Gravitas: Spanish football Chief Luis Rubiales steps down × Despite strong public backlash, Rubiales had initially refused to resign from his position, before succumbing to the pressure. He also claimed the kiss was consensual and vowed to defend his innocence in a statement published last month. “I have faith in the truth and I will do everything in my power so that it prevails," he said. The incident overshadowed what was a historic World Cup win for the Spanish side in Australia. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales banned for three years over non-consensual kiss

Spanish football chief, Luis Rubiales, has stepped down from his position. This comes after Spanish player Jenni Hermoso filed a legal complaint accusing him of sexual assault and coercion. Should men in power take a lesson? Molly Gambhir tells you more

Gravitas: Spanish football Chief Luis Rubiales steps down

Spanish soccer has a racism problem, football federation chief Luis Rubiales said on Monday, after Real Madrid lodged a complaint following alleged insults hurled at their Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. The top-flight LaLiga is under pressure to do more to combat racism after the Brazilian president, FIFA and fellow stars such as Kylian Mbappe voiced support for Vinicius, even as LaLiga President Javier Tebas wrote on Twitter that it is doing enough and Vinicius should inform himself "before you criticise and slander LaLiga".

"The first thing is to recognise that we have a problem in our country," Rubiales said at a press conference in Madrid on Monday. It is "a serious problem that also stains an entire team, an entire fan base, an entire club, an entire country."

A match at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia was stopped for 10 minutes after the 22-year-old forward, Real Madrid's second top scorer this season (23) behind Karim Benzema (29), pointed out fans who were allegedly hurling racist comments at him.

Videos posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed hundreds of Valencia fans singing "Vinicius is a monkey" as the Real Madrid bus arrived at the stadium before the match.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/real-madrids-vinicius-jr-labels-la-liga-and-spain-racist-for-chants-brazil-president-calls-for-end-of-racism-594992">Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr slams La Liga after racial abuse, Brazil President calls for end of racism</a>

"I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists," Vinicius Jr wrote on Twitter after the game.

Rubiales criticised Tebas's comments, describing them as "irresponsible behaviour."

"Probably Vinicius is more right than we think and we all need to do more about racism," Rubiales said.

Real Madrid said on Monday they have lodged a hate crime complaint following the incident in Valencia. It is the 10th episode of alleged racism against Vinicius that has been reported to prosecutors this season, according to LaLiga.

Spanish police are also investigating a possible hate crime against Vinicius Jr after a mannequin wearing his number 20 shirt was hung from a bridge outside Real Madrid's training ground in January ahead of the club's derby match with Atletico Madrid.

Prosecutors dropped a complaint filed for racist chants aimed at the player in September during another game against Atletico Madrid.

The prosecutor archived the case because the chants of "monkey" were only said a couple of times and "only lasted a few seconds," highlighting how Spain's penal code makes it difficult to prosecute racist incidents at football games.

Spanish prosecutors officially investigated just three cases of racist acts during the 2021-22 season, according to the Interior Ministry. Under current rules, people found guilty of racist behaviour can be fined up to 4,000 euros ($4,403) and banned from stadiums for a year.

There is growing momentum for Spain to do more to tackle the problem. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on FIFA and LaLiga to "take real action" while FIFA President Gianni Infantino offered his "full solidarity" and called for LaLiga to enforce a rule that penalises clubs with points deductions if racist chants persist.

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Spanish soccer has a racism problem, football federation chief Luis Rubiales said on Monday, after Real Madrid lodged a complaint following alleged insults hurled at their Brazilian star Vinicius Jr.

Spanish soccer has a racism problem, football federation chief Luis Rubiales said on Monday, after Real Madrid lodged a complaint following alleged insults hurled at their Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. The top-flight LaLiga is under pressure to do more to combat racism after the Brazilian president, FIFA and fellow stars such as Kylian Mbappe voiced support for Vinicius, even as LaLiga President Javier Tebas wrote on Twitter that it is doing enough and Vinicius should inform himself "before you criticise and slander LaLiga". "The first thing is to recognise that we have a problem in our country," Rubiales said at a press conference in Madrid on Monday. It is "a serious problem that also stains an entire team, an entire fan base, an entire club, an entire country." A match at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia was stopped for 10 minutes after the 22-year-old forward, Real Madrid's second top scorer this season (23) behind Karim Benzema (29), pointed out fans who were allegedly hurling racist comments at him. Videos posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed hundreds of Valencia fans singing "Vinicius is a monkey" as the Real Madrid bus arrived at the stadium before the match. ALSO READ: Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr slams La Liga after racial abuse, Brazil President calls for end of racism "I am sorry for those Spaniards who disagree but today, in Brazil, Spain is known as a country of racists," Vinicius Jr wrote on Twitter after the game. Rubiales criticised Tebas's comments, describing them as "irresponsible behaviour." "Probably Vinicius is more right than we think and we all need to do more about racism," Rubiales said. Real Madrid said on Monday they have lodged a hate crime complaint following the incident in Valencia. It is the 10th episode of alleged racism against Vinicius that has been reported to prosecutors this season, according to LaLiga. Spanish police are also investigating a possible hate crime against Vinicius Jr after a mannequin wearing his number 20 shirt was hung from a bridge outside Real Madrid's training ground in January ahead of the club's derby match with Atletico Madrid. Prosecutors dropped a complaint filed for racist chants aimed at the player in September during another game against Atletico Madrid. The prosecutor archived the case because the chants of "monkey" were only said a couple of times and "only lasted a few seconds," highlighting how Spain's penal code makes it difficult to prosecute racist incidents at football games. Spanish prosecutors officially investigated just three cases of racist acts during the 2021-22 season, according to the Interior Ministry. Under current rules, people found guilty of racist behaviour can be fined up to 4,000 euros ($4,403) and banned from stadiums for a year. There is growing momentum for Spain to do more to tackle the problem. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on FIFA and LaLiga to "take real action" while FIFA President Gianni Infantino offered his "full solidarity" and called for LaLiga to enforce a rule that penalises clubs with points deductions if racist chants persist. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

LaLiga must do more to combat racism, says Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales following Vinicius Jr incident