Luis Rubialies is refusing calls to resign from his post as president of the Spanish soccer federation, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune from disciplinary action.

On Saturday, FIFA provisionally suspended Rubiales from all soccer-related activities for 90 days. Hermoso has come under fire for kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the team’s World Cup medal ceremony. Hermoso has said the kiss was non-consensual.

“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,” FIFA said in a statement. “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, Aug. 24.

“Likewise, the RFEF and its officials or employees, directly or through third parties, are ordered to refrain from contacting the professional player of the Spanish national team Ms. Jennifer Hermoso and her close environment.”

The federation issued a statement in response to the suspension.

“Luis Rubiales has stated that he will legally defend himself in the competent bodies, he fully trusts FIFA and reiterates that, in this way, he is given the opportunity to begin his defense so that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven.”

In another statement from RFEF released Saturday, the federation doubled down on its condemnation of Hermoso.

“The facts are what they are and, no matter how many statement you put out to distort reality, it is impossible to change what happened,” the statement read. “The peck was with consent. Consent is given at the moment with the conditions of the moment. Afterwards you can think that you have made a mistake, but you cannot change the reality.”

After widespread reports that he would resign, Spanish soccer president Luis Rubiales delivered a spirited rant Friday in which he refused to do so.

Pressure is growing for Rubiales to step down as president after an unsolicited kiss of Spain player Jenni Hermoso during Spain’s World Cup celebrations. FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales on Thursday in connection to the incident.

On Friday, Rubiales defended his behavior and said he will “fight to the end” during an emergency meeting of the Spanish federation’s general assembly. The Spanish government later started the legal proceedings necessary to suspend Rubiales.

“Do you think this [incident] 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.

“I’ve come under a lot of pressure. Perhaps somebody will look to remove me on Monday. But we live in a country of laws. Is a consensual kiss enough to remove me? I’m going to fight until the end. I hope the law is followed, and that as there’s no reason to [remove me], it won’t happen.”

Rubiales downplayed his actions, which included grabbing his crotch in the presence of Queen Letizia of Spain and her daughter immediately after Spain’s first-ever Women’s World Cup win. He apologized to the queen while attempting to justify the gesture.

“In a moment of euphoria, I grabbed that part of my body,” Rubiales said. “I was looking at [coach] Jorge Vilda. We’ve been through a lot this year. People have wanted to do the same to [Vilda] that people are doing to me, with a false narrative. We’ve suffered a lot. I got very emotional and lost control. … I must apologize to the Queen, the Infanta and the Royal Household. My sincere apologies.”

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Rubiales was seen kissing Spain star Jenni Hermoso during the World Cup medal ceremony. (Noemi Llamas/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

But in regards to the kiss, Rubiales, who has served as RFEF president since 2018, said he did not see any wrongdoing.

“My desire in that moment was exactly the same as if I’d have been kissing one of my daughters,” he said. “No more or less. Everybody understands that. It was a spontaneous kiss, mutual, euphoric and consensual. That’s the key.

“[Hermoso] had missed a penalty. I have a great relationship with all the players. … In the moment that Jenni arrived, she lifted me up off the ground. We almost fell over. We hugged. I said, ‘Forget about the penalty, you’ve been fantastic, we wouldn’t have won the World Cup without you.’ She said: ‘You’re great.’ I said, ‘A kiss?’ And she said: ‘Yes.’

“From ‘no big deal’ and all that, then the pressure starts, the silence of the player and a statement [from Hermoso] that I don’t understand. Justice isn’t being done here. This is a social assassination of me, they’re trying to kill me.”

On Wednesday, Hermoso spoke about the incident for the first time through the players’ union, calling it “unacceptable” and said the actions “should never go unpunished.”

Rubiales has faced growing pressure from multiple sides, including Spain’s Liga F, Spain’s acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez, and high-profile players and coaches. On Friday, he called his critics “false feminists.”

“We must know the difference between truth and lies,” he said. “I’m telling the truth. False feminism doesn’t look for justice or truth, it doesn’t care about people. … [Various politicians] have used terms like sexual violence, assault. What will women who have been sexually assaulted think of that?

“These people are trying to assassinate me and I’m going to defend myself. The false feminists destroy people. … The press, in the majority, will keep killing me, but I know the truth, and what my family and the people who love me think. The truth is the truth.”

The fallout comes in the wake of multiple Spain players refusing to play for the team until their concerns about the federation and Vilda as coach were addressed. Of the 15 players who sent a letter to the federation last fall, three returned to play on the World Cup-winning team.

FIFA has become the latest to address Spain’s World Cup controversy. The world governing body for soccer has opened disciplinary proceedings against Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales due to his forced kiss of star Jenni Hermoso.

His actions at the World Cup final “may constitute violations” of FIFA’s disciplinary code, per a FIFA statement released Thursday. After the match, which saw Spain claim its first title with a 1-0 win over England, Rubiales grabbed his crotch in celebration, then kissed Hermoso during the trophy ceremony.

“The FIFA disciplinary committee will only provide further information on these disciplinary proceedings once it has issued a final decision on the matter,” the statement read. “FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behavior to the contrary.”

FIFA’s disciplinary code allows punishments to be handed out for “violating the basic rules of decent conduct” or “insulting a natural or legal person in any way, especially by using offensive gestures, signs or language.”

While Hermoso initially downplayed the incident, the 33-year-old midfielder reportedly refused to appear alongside Rubiales in his apology video, despite requests from Rubiales and Spain head coach Jorge Vilda. On Wednesday, she called for action in a statement released in conjunction with her agency and the Spanish players’ union.

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

“One of the greatest feats in the history of Spanish sport was sullied by the embarrassing behavior of the highest representative of Spanish football,” Liga F said in a statement released Wednesday.

Atlético de Madrid became the fourth Spanish soccer club to call for Rubiales’ resignation Thursday, joining Getafe, Real Sociedad and Osasuna.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has set an emergency meeting for Friday. While a source told The Athletic that Rubiales had no intention to step down, a report from Spanish newspaper MARCA said he now is considering it amid the growing tide of backlash.

As part of their first World Cup title, Spain will be taking home a historic prize pool.

With FIFA increasing prize money totals throughout the tournament, Spain will receive a $10.5 million payday after defeating England 1-0 in the World Cup final on Sunday.

FIFA provided $110 million in bonus money for the 2023 women’s tournament, a 260% increase from the 2019 World Cup. While the men still earn substantially more money (the prize pool for the 2022 Men’s World Cup was $440 million), the $10 million purse is significant for a Spain team that, before this tournament, hadn’t won a World Cup knockout game.

FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman guaranteed on Saturday that players would receive their bonus payments after the association faced criticism for their method of disbursing payments. That structure involves national team federations receiving the money from FIFA and being responsible for doling out the money to their players, which many doubted in light of ongoing disputes between federations and players.

Here’s the complete breakdown of how much teams made at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and how much each player on Spain will take home as a result of winning the title:

  • Group stage exit: $2.25 million total per federation
    • $1.56 million for the federation
    • $30,000 for each player
  • Round of 16 exit: $3.25 million total per federation
    • $1.87 million for the federation
    • $60,000 for each player
  • Quarterfinal exit: $4.25 million total per federation
    • $2.18 million for the federation
    • $90,000 for each player
  • Fourth-place finisher: $6.26 million total
    • $2.46 million for the federation
    • $165,000 for each player
  • Third-place finisher: $6.75 million total
    • $2.61 million for the federation
    • $180,000 for each player
  • Second-place finisher: $7.51 million total
    • $3.02 million for the federation
    • $195,000 for each player
  • Winner: $10.5 million total
    • $4.29 million for the federation
    • $270,000 for each player

Ada Hegerberg, the Norway star and former Ballon d’Or winner, responded to FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s comments that women needed to “convince us men” to do “what we have to do.”

Infantino was asked about gender equality while addressing the media ahead of Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final between England and Spain, citing his four daughters in the discussion.

“I say to all the women — and you know I have four daughters, so I have a few at home — that you have the power to change,” he said. “Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. Just do it. With men, with FIFA, you’ll find open doors. Just push the doors.”

Players from multiple national teams that competed in the Women’s World Cup — including finalists Spain — have been in disputes with their federations over pay and unequal treatment. FIFA was set to pay players for their participation in the 2023 World Cup, but Infantino later clarified that the money would be doled out to federations under guidance to give it to players.

On Friday, Hegerberg hit back at Infantino’s comments, writing sarcastically on X that she was “working on a little presentation to convince men. Who’s in?”

Infantino added that FIFA was striving for equal pay between the men’s and women’s World Cups, but noted that it wouldn’t fix every issue.

“Equal pay at the World Cup? We are going in that direction already,” he said. “But that would not solve anything. It might be a symbol, but it would not solve anything, because it’s one month every four years and it’s a few players out of the thousands and thousands of players.

“We have to start treating women and men in the same way. Push the doors with FIFA, and do it at national level in every country, at continental level in every confederation, just keep pushing, keep the momentum going, keep dreaming, and let’s really go for a full equality.”

Hegerberg historically has been vocal about federations’ lack of respect for their women’s teams. The 2018 Ballon d’Or award winner famously skipped the 2019 World Cup and refused to play for Norway in protest over unequal treatment from the federation. The NFF agreed to pay their men’s and women’s teams equally in 2017, but Hegerberg held out until other demands were met.

This summer, she has continued to be an advocate for other nations in disputes with their federations. Jamaica and South Africa, in particular, had success on the field despite fighting for funding.

“More and more teams are here to show their best, and it’s tighter,” Hegerberg said. “You can see it from both sides: Are the best teams evolving in the right direction? But you see that smaller nations are coming up and are doing great work, putting their spirit into it, and it’s great to see.

“I really hope it gives more nations more opportunities and more and more federations follow, because I know there are many nations that need more following and more respect from their federations.”

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reportedly has left the building.

Infantino departed the Women’s World Cup less than one week into the tournament to return to Tahiti, Sky News reported. He had departed the island on July 17 to attend the start of the tournament in New Zealand, where he stayed for eight days before returning to Tahiti on July 25, as reported by Sky News based on the movements of a private jet used by the FIFA president.

After attending every match of the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar, Infantino already has missed four match days at the 2023 women’s tournament. And while he attended matches on the first five days of the tournament in New Zealand, he has yet to attend a match in Australia.

As ticket sales in New Zealand lagged relative to Australia, he urged fans to buy in, saying: “It’s never too late to do the right thing. Come to watch the matches.”

In contrast, Infantino attended all 64 matches at the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar, calling it a “privilege and pleasure” at one point during the tournament. He also largely was based out of that country in the year before the tournament “in order to deliver his presidential duties and be closer to the FIFA World Cup,” FIFA said at the time.

The FIFA president has not visited Australia since the country was awarded hosting rights with New Zealand in 2020, Sky News reported.

So far, he has seen just 12 teams from the expanded 32-team field. While FIFA has told Sky News that Infantino will return to the World Cup for group-stage games in Australia, it did not say when.

Previously, Infantino had called for this summer’s World Cup to be given the same amount of respect as the men’s tournament when broadcasters did not offer what FIFA considered reasonable money for the television rights to the tournament. He also has championed this as the “best-attended” Women’s World Cup.

Additionally, he referred to 2023 as “the year of women” on Instagram and wrote that “the future belongs to women.”

Zambia had already pulled off the improbable.

During Friday’s friendly match against Germany, Zambia — ranked No. 77 in the world by FIFA — was leading 2-0 heading into stoppage time.

But Germany, World No. 2 and one of the favorites heading into the 2023 Women’s World Cup, wasn’t going down without a fight. Lea Schueller scored a header in the first minute of stoppage time to make it 2-1. Nine minutes later, German captain Alexandra Popp scored what seemed to be the equalizer.

But Barbra Banda, the breakout star of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, had other plans. The Zambian captain capitalized on a poor throw-in from Germany’s Klara Buehl, out-sprinted her defender and launched the ball over German goalkeeper Merle Frohms.

Banda’s incredible goal — her second of the game — secured the 3-2 win for Zambia (video embedded below).

The win over Germany should give Zambia a confidence boost ahead of its first-ever Women’s World Cup appearance. Zambia will compete in Group C against Spain, Japan and Costa Rica.

Note: Following Friday’s World Cup send-off game, the Guardian reported that Zambian head coach Bruce Mwape has been accused of sexual misconduct and that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) referred an investigation to FIFA. You can read more about this development here.

The head coach of Zambia’s national women’s soccer team, Bruce Mwape, is facing allegations of sexual misconduct less than two weeks before the 2023 Women’s World Cup begins.

The Guardian reported on Saturday that Mwape, who was appointed in 2018, and U17 women’s head coach Kaluba Kangwa have both been accused of sexual misconduct.

“If he [Mwape] wants to sleep with someone, you have to say yes,” an unnamed player told the Guardian. “It’s normal that the coach sleeps with the players in our team.”

Claims of sexual abuse by Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) employees were raised last year. In September 2022, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) said it referred an investigation to FIFA and the police after allegations of sexual misconduct were made on social media, but did not disclose which or how many employees were under investigation.

“Although we have no record of official complaints from anyone on the allegations, we consider these allegations very serious and have opened an inquiry into the matter,” FAZ general secretary, Adrian Kashala, said at the time. “We shall collaborate with the Zambia Police Service and other relevant stakeholders in dealing with this matter.”

The Guardian reported that players have received threats of punishment if they spoke out about the alleged harassment.

In a statement to the Guardian, FIFA said it could not comment on ongoing investigations and that any information the ethics committee decides to share will be communicated at its discretion.

Just Women’s Sports also reached out to FIFA for comment on how the organization handles these types of investigations, what steps (if any) are taken to protect players from retaliation, and whether FIFA still plans to provide Mwape with a credential for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

FIFA said the relevant representative was not immediately available to comment.

Zambia is making its Women’s World Cup debut this summer. In a World Cup tune-up match on Friday, Zambia, ranked 77th in the world, pulled off a major upset against No. 2 Germany thanks to an incredible stoppage time goal from captain Barbra Banda.

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.

FIFA will not allow players to wear rainbow or OneLove armbands in support of LGBTQ+ rights at the 2023 World Cup.

Instead, the world soccer governing body has approved eight alternative armbands highlighting social issues — including a “United for Inclusion” armband featuring a rainbow-colored symbol.

Players were banned from wearing the OneLove armband, which features a rainbow-colored heart, at the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar.

For the women’s tournament, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20, the FIFA-approved “inclusion” armband has a heart in the same colors as the OneLove armband. Rather than the colors of the traditional LGBTQ+ Pride flag, the colors pull from the red, black and green Pan-African flag and the pink, yellow and blue pansexual flag, a deliberate distinction.

The seven other armbands messages include:

  • Unite for Indigenous People
  • Unite for Gender Equality
  • Unite for Peace
  • Unite for Education for All
  • Unite for Zero Hunger
  • Unite for Ending Violence Against Women
  • Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope & Passion

Team captains can choose to wear a generic “Football Unites the World” armband or one of the eight alternative options throughout the tournament, or they can rotate to wear the armband FIFA has selected for each round.

While FIFA launched a similar armband initiative for men’s World Cup, no armband with OneLove colors was included among the options.

“The statement that was made at the Euros with every team participating was incredible, every picture we have with a trophy lift there’s a rainbow armband in there,” England captain Leah Williamson said earlier this year. “It’s a great stage and a great time to promote the values we believe in so much, so I hope it’s the same (at the World Cup).

“We’re never shy in saying what we stand for, we’re a squad that promotes inclusivity and equality, we obviously have a number of people that feel very strongly about it.”

The sports ministers in five European countries are pushing FIFA and broadcasters to “quickly reach an agreement” on television rights for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which begins on July 20.

In a joint statement, representatives of the five countries — the UK, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy — expressed concern that an agreement still has not been reached.

“We are convinced that the media coverage of the Women’s World Cup will be decisive in improving the global visibility of women’s sports in our European countries,” the statement read. “Media exposure to women’s sports has indeed a highly significant impact on the development of women’s and young girls’ sports practices.”

Last month, FIFA President Gianni Infantino threatened a TV blackout in those countries, telling the European broadcasters they needed to increase their offers in order to be granted rights to televise the tournament.

“Should the offers continue not to be fair, we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘Big 5’ European countries,” Infantino said at the time.

With less than 50 days until the tournament begins, the lack of broadcast rights deals raises concerns over the quality of coverage broadcasters in those countries will be able to provide — assuming they come to an agreement with FIFA in time. Such rights deals are typically worked out well in advance, allowing broadcasters plenty of time to plan their coverage. For comparison: the BBC’s rights deal for the 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cups was signed in 2014.

While viewership for women’s soccer has soared, especially in recent years, broadcast rights fees have not kept up. In an interview with Bloomberg last year, FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai said that for women’s matches, UK broadcasters pay roughly 2% of what they do for men’s — despite the women’s audience being about 20% of the men’s.

FIFA has pointed to the disparate rights fees as one of the reasons the men’s World Cup prize pool is so much larger than the women’s. FIFA allocated $440 million to teams that competed at last year’s Men’s World Cup, while the prize pool for this summer’s Women’s World Cup is $150 million.