Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales refused to resign Friday, instead promising to “fight to the end” amid backlash from his unsolicited kiss of star Jenni Hermoso at Sunday’s World Cup final.

FIFA opened an investigation into Rubiales’ actions in the aftermath of Spain’s 1-0 win against England, the world soccer governing body announced Thursday. Rubiales, 46, not only kissed Hermoso on the lips but also hugged and kissed other Spanish players. In addition, he grabbed his crotch in celebration in the presence of 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofía and Queen Letizia of Spain.

The Spanish federation (RFEF) already had scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday, and RFEF leaders held a separate meeting Thursday to discuss possible options for Rubiales’ successor, Reuters reported. Yet despite multiple reports of Rubiales’ intention to step down, he instead struck a defiant tone. He called the outcry against him “false feminism.”

“Do you think this is so serious that I should go, after the best management in the history of Spanish football?” he said. “Let me tell you: I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to resign.”

The Spanish government later started the legal proceedings necessary to suspend Rubiales.

On Monday, Rubiales issued an apology for the kiss, saying he saw the gesture as “natural and normal” but would apologize “because people have felt hurt by it.” At the time, Hermoso downplayed the kiss, but she issued a statement Wednesday in conjunction with the Spanish players’ union saying such actions “should never go unpunished.”

Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s acting prime minister, said Rubiales’ apology “wasn’t sufficient,” and acting second deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz called on Rubiales to resign. Liga F, Spain’s professional women’s soccer league, also called for his resignation.

Atlético de Madrid became the fourth Spanish soccer club to call for Rubiales’ resignation Thursday, joining Getafe, Real Sociedad and Osasuna. Voices from the women’s soccer world also have spoken out, including USWNT star Megan Rapinoe and San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney.

Rubiales also has been accused of using RFEF money to organize sex parties and to take a woman on a trip to New York, ESPN reported. And these controversies come on top of a longstanding dispute between Spanish women’s players and the federation over the national team environment and and the management style of head coach Jorge Vilda.

In his speech Friday, Rubiales doubled down on his support of Vilda, saying he plans to offer the coach a four-year contract with an annual salary of €500,000.

“You deserve it, Jorge, we’ve gone through a lot, a lot,” Rubiales said. “I’ve always said you were one of the best managers in the world in women’s football. Sincerely, I tell you you’re the best.”

In today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins takes a deep dive into the end-of-season NWSL awards, comparing her ballot with the announced finalists to predict this year's winners. Watkins then gives her final picks from the pool of nominees, choosing the best of the best in a year flush with impressive performances.

Later, Watkins previews the blockbuster NWSL semifinal matchups between the league's top four teams, predicting the results and forecasting who will ultimately win a ticket to Kansas City to compete in the 2024 NWSL Championship.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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The NWSL announced more details around November 22nd's second annual Skills Challenge on Thursday, including competition rules and eight participating athletes.

Beginning at 6 PM ET the evening before November 23rd's 2024 NWSL Championship match, two teams of league stars will compete in a trio of skills contests. The winning squad will split a $30,000 check from sponsor CarMax — up from $25,000 last year.

Retired NWSL and USWNT icon Sam Mewis will host the event.

Three events await Skills Challenge contenders

The 2024 edition of the Skills Challenge returns two events — Player Shootouts and the Crossbar Challenge — while replacing last year's 2-on-2 TeqBall competition with a new contest called the Gauntlet.

Meant to highlight athletes' agility and dribbling skills, the Gauntlet places a player within a starting circle surrounded by five mini-goals of various sizes. The smaller the goal, the more points it is worth.

The athlete will have 60 seconds to score as many points as possible, but must exit the circle to take a shot. At the same time, the other team's defenders will attempt to thwart scoring attempts, but they cannot enter the circle.

Reminiscent of penalty kicks (PKs), the Shootout's nine rounds will feature one player against the opposing team's goalkeeper. Unlike PKs in a match, goalkeepers have freedom of movement and are not limited to staying on the goal line. Similarly, the attacker can dribble away from the starting spot to shoot from anywhere on the pitch, as long as they do so within eight seconds.

Finally, in the Crossbar Challenge, the two Skills Challenge teams will take turns trying to hit the crossbar from the 18-yard line, with each hit adding one point to the team total.

After reaching five points, a team will double the distance from goal to 36 yards. The first team to hit the crossbar from there, while still alternating shots, wins the event.

Stars gear up to showcase their skills

Though full 2024 Skills Challenge rosters will be revealed in the coming days, the NWSL dropped eight contenders in Thursday's announcement.

The lone veteran from the 2023 competition is Houston forward Michelle Alozie, who will join Skills Challenge rookies Angelina (Orlando), Kate Del Fava (Utah), Savannah DeMelo (Louisville), Jaelin Howell (Seattle), Savy King (Bay), Kailen Sheridan (San Diego), and Morgan Weaver (Portland).

Should Orlando advance from this weekend's NWSL semifinals to November 23rd's NWSL Championship, Angelina will withdraw from the skills competition.

How to watch the 2024 NWSL Skills Challenge

The Friday event at the University of Kansas Health System Training Center is free and open to the public.

Those unable to attend in person can watch a full replay of the event on the afternoon of Sunday, November 24th, when the Skills Challenge will air nationwide on CBS.

Welcome back to Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie!

In today's episode, our hosts kick things off by chatting through last weekend's NWSL quarterfinals, with the top four teams proving their dominance in four heated battles. O'Hara then shouts out the two center backs who notched their first goals of the year this postseason: Washington's Tara McKeown and Gotham's Tierna Davidson.

Later turning to the NWSL semifinals, Leslie zeroes in on this weekend's bout between No. 1 Orlando and No. 4 Kansas City — a game that pits leading goalscorers Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda against one another. "Is the matchup that we've been waiting for?" she asks.

O'Hara agrees with her co-host. While she dubs the semifinal between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Gotham more of a "chess match," O'Hara predicts the Current and Pride's clash to be "end line to end line soccer."

"Orlando was able to stay top of the table [while] Kansas City is fourth, so in reality you would think Orlando should walk into this game feeling very confident and know what you need to do to be successful," says O'Hara. "But it's playoffs, so anything can happen."

"I'm just gonna be sat on the couch, locked in," she adds. "Get the popcorn out, get ready."

Fast Friends discusses NWSL awards

Before moving on from the pitch, Leslie and O'Hara discuss the NWSL's end-of-season awards frontrunners. The hosts gamble that Chawinga will take MVP honors while Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune will walk away as the 2024 Rookie of the Year — despite only playing 17 matches before a post-Olympics knee injury limited her to the sidelines.

Then, the legendary athletes turn to the tennis courts to celebrate Coco Gauff's recent WTA Finals win before chatting through the top teams and players headlining NCAA basketball's early season action.

And last but not least, O'Hara and Leslie reveal a few of the special guests joining them onstage at their upcoming NWSL Championship Weekend Live Show.

About Fast Friends with Kelley O'Hara and Lisa Leslie

Coming off the success of JWS's Olympic commentary show The Gold Standard, Fast Friends features two legendary athletes serving up insider insights and unique takes on the biggest stories in women's sports every week.

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The NWSL announced the finalists for the 2024 end-of-year awards on Tuesday, with lists showcasing heavy-hitters around the league.

The 2024 MVP award is an all-attacker affair, as the league's top scorers all earned nominations. The Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda and Marta both snagged nods, with Kansas City's Golden Boot-winner Temwa Chawinga, Washington's Trinity Rodman, and Portland's Sophia Smith rounding out the shortlist.

The Rookie of the Year category is similarly stacked, as injured Washington rookie Croix Bethune and her record-tying 10 assists goes up against Utah standout Ally Sentnor and KC Current star Claire Hutton for top honors.

Position players snag share of NWSL awards spotlight

The NWSL's top position players are also vying for solo hardware this season.

In the league's first-ever Midfielder of the Year category, Kansas City's Vanessa DiBernardo and celly queen Lo LaBonta earned nominations, as did Orlando's Marta and North Carolina's Ashley Sanchez. Washington rookie Croix Bethune's short but impressive season also scored her a nod.

Battling in the backline for Defender of the Year are North Carolina's Kaleigh Kurtz and Washington's forward-turned-center back Tara McKeown. Both Iron Women are in the running alongside San Diego’s Naomi Girma and Orlando’s Emily Sams and Kylie Strom.

As the new NWSL single-season shutout leader, Orlando's Anna Moorhouse headlines the Goalkeeper of the Year race, with Gotham's Ann-Katrin Berger and Utah's Mandy Haught in hot pursuit.

Top sideline leaders earn NWSL Coach of the Year nominations

After flipping Orlando from a non-playoff team into 2024’s Shield-winners with a record-setting 23-match undefeated streak, Pride boss Seb Hines is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year (COTY).

However, Hines faces tough competition from Gotham's Juan Carlos Amorós and Kansas City's Vlatko Andonovski.

Andonovski took the Current from a second-to-last 2023 finish to fourth-place on this season's table, while 2023 COTY winner Amorós is one of just two coaches to defeat Orlando this year.

How to vote for the 2024 NWSL individual awards

Fan ballots account for 10% of the final tally, so weigh in by voting online for this season's individual awards, as well as the Best XI First Team and Best XI Second Team. Ballots are due by 3 PM ET on Friday.