MADRID: Football's world governing body FIFA suspended Spanish federation chief Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities for three months on Saturday (Aug 26) as it investigates allegations he gave a player an unwanted kiss on the lips after Spain's women won the World Cup.
FIFA had opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales two days ago over the incident with player Jenni Hermoso last Sunday in Sydney that has caused an uproar among players and fans. Rubiales' suspension from national and international activities takes immediate effect, it said on Saturday.
Rubiales said he would use the probe to show his innocence.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) issued a statement for him, saying Rubiales "will defend himself legally in the competent bodies, has full confidence in the FIFA bodies and reiterates that, in this way, he is being given the opportunity to begin his defence so that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven".
Rubiales, 46, has been defiant over the kiss - which has been condemned as unwanted by Hermoso, her team mates and the Spanish government - arguing it was consensual.
Earlier on Saturday the RFEF had said it would stick by Rubiales as he sought to stay on, but a federation spokesperson said after the FIFA announcement that "We respect all the pronouncements of FIFA".
Gary Lineker, a former England and Barcelona player, summed up much of the public reaction to the FIFA move, posting in Spanish on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Por fin! (At last)."
Rubiales played mainly in Spain's second division in a career spanning 12 years. When he was elected to lead the RFEF in 2018, he promised to modernise its structure, increase turnover and make the federation more transparent.
Feminist groups staged demonstrations in Madrid, Santander and Logrono on Saturday calling for his resignation.
At a federation meeting on Friday where he had been widely expected to resign, Rubiales insteady refused to quit, seeking to defend his behaviour and calling the kiss "spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual".
Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss and felt "vulnerable and the victim of an aggression".
In a statement hours before FIFA's move on Saturday, the federation said it would show there had been lies told about what happened by Hermoso or people speaking for her and that it would "initiate the corresponding legal actions" to defend Rubiales' honour, without specifying what that would entail.
The Spanish government cannot fire Rubiales but has strongly denounced his actions and said on Friday it was seeking to get him suspended using a legal procedure before a sports tribunal.
FIFA has provisionally suspended Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), from all football-related activities for 90 days following his unsolicited kiss of Jenni Hermoso after the Women's World Cup final.
Despite growing pressure throughout the week, including FIFA opening disciplinary proceedings Thursday, Rubiales refused to resign Friday, saying the kiss was "mutual and with consent."
Pachuca forward Hermoso replied in a statement later in the day, disputing Rubiales' version of events and saying she "felt vulnerable and the victim of aggression, an impulsive, sexist act which was out of place and with no consent on my behalf."
FIFA, world football's governing body, said Saturday: "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, Aug. 24.
"Likewise, the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and in order to preserve, among other factors, the fundamental rights of the national 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.
"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."
UEFA, which oversees football in Europe, has yet to respond to ESPN's requests for a comment on the situation. Rubiales sits on UEFA's executive committee and is one of the body's vice presidents.
In a statement through the federation, Rubiales said: "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 defence so that the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven."
Later on Saturday, the RFEF released another statement in reply to Hermoso's, accusing her of changing her original version of events.
"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."
It follows a week of controversy, criticism and widespread condemnation of Rubiales' behaviour after Spain's World Cup win over England in Sydney.
As well as kissing Hermoso, Rubiales was also seen effusively hugging other members of the Spanish national team and kissing them on the cheek.
Before that, immediately following Spain's confirmation as World Cup champions, Rubiales was seen grabbing his crotch in a victory gesture, with 16-year-old Infanta Sofia and Queen Letizia of Spain standing nearby.
Everything accelerated on Friday when Rubiales announced he would not resign in a remarkable 30-minute speech, which was applauded by those present at the RFEF's headquarters.
Following his intervention, Spain's government started legal proceedings seeking to "suspend him from his functions."
Later, all 23 players who won the World Cup with Spain, in addition to more than 50 other players, denounced Rubiales' "bewildering speech" and said they "will not return to the national team if the current leaders continue."
In a separate statement, Hermoso then called Rubiales' version of events "false," said his behaviour constituted an "aggressive, sexist act" and added that the RFEF had put pressure on her and others to make public comments to calm things down.
Following that, six members of coach Jorge Vilda's staff stepped down on Saturday with a further five coaches who work with the country's youth teams also announcing their resignations.
Vilda said later on Saturday that he regretted the "inappropriate behaviour" of Rubiales.
The fallout has dominated headlines in Spain and was the focus of Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez's news conference ahead of Sunday's trip to Villarreal.
"Before taking questions, I just want to comment on the situation," Xavi said. "Firstly, I want to offer my unconditional support for Jenni and players in the women's game.
"Secondly, I want to condemn the behaviour of the RFEF president, which was totally unacceptable. And, thirdly, I want to express sadness that it has taken away from a historic World Cup win."
However, Xavi grew irritated as he was asked multiple times about the matter, with the press officer eventually requesting that journalists focus on other questions.
"That's seven questions now," Xavi said. "It's a shame we're not talking about Cata Coll, Aitana Bonmatí, Alexia Putellas and the hurdles they have overcome.
"We are talking about unacceptable conduct [instead]. I like how the team bounced back after losing to Japan, how they suffered in the semifinal to make the final. We have to put value on the players."
Rubiales has been a controversial figure throughout his tenure as head of Spanish football's governing body.
The RFEF also faced criticism over its handling of the complaints of 15 Spain women's national team players over Vilda and the federation's support for the team.
Rubiales' response was to back Vilda. Three of the 15 featured at the World Cup after some changes were made, while seven refused to participate and five were not selected.
Information from Reuters was included in this report.
MOSCOW : Russia hopes to increase its marine product exports to China in the wake of China's ban on Japanese seafood imports after the release of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.
Russia is one of the biggest marine product suppliers to China, with 894 Russian companies allowed to export seafood, Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian food safety watchdog, said in July.
In a statement late on Friday (Aug 26), Rosselkhoznadzor said it was seeking to increase the number of exporters.
"The Chinese market in general is promising for Russian fish products. We hope to increase the number of certified Russian companies and ships, the volume of products and its range," the Rosselkhoznadzor statement said.
To aid that effort, Rosselkhoznadzor plans to continue dialogue with China on seafood safety issues and finish negotiations with China on regulations for Russian marine products supply to the country, the statement said.
China has already banned some food imports from Japan but Thursday's total ban was prompted by concerns about the "risk of radioactive contamination" after it started releasing the treated water.
China was the destination for over a half of Russian aquatic products exports between January and August, the statement said without providing figures, dominated by pollock, herring, flounder, sardine, cod and crab.
Russia exported 2.3 million metric tons of marine products last year worth about US$6.1 billion, around half of its overall catch, with China, South Korea and Japan being the biggest importers, according to Russia's fisheries agency.
Japan said criticism from Russia and China was unsupported by scientific evidence and pollution levels in the water will be below those considered safe for drinking under World Health Organization standards.
Still, Rosselkhoznadzor said it has tightened the screening of Japan seafood imports, though the volumes are insignificant.
The regulator also said the direction of currents in the Russian Far East, where about 70 per cent of Russia's seafood is caught, "would prevent contamination" of marine products caught by Russian ships.
It has also tightened the radiological control of seafood caught in Russian waters which are relatively close to Fukushima and would test selected samples for radiation levels, Interfax reported on Thursday, citing Rosselkhoznadzor's Pacific office.
All 23 players of Spain's World Cup-winning squad have said they will not play for their country again as long as Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales remains in charge.
Forward Jenni Hermoso released a joint statement via her union FUTPRO on Friday in which she denied Rubiales' claim that she consented to his kiss during Spain's World Cup final celebrations.
The statement, co-signed by Spain's entire World Cup squad and 58 former players, added that they would not return to play for the national team while Rubiales remains in his position.
It follows a week of controversy, criticism and widespread condemnation of Rubiales' behaviour after Spain's World Cup win in Sydney.
Earlier Friday, Rubiales said calls for him to step down were a campaign of "social assassination" by "false feminists" during a speech to the RFEF's general assembly in which he refused to resign.
"I want to clarify, as you can see in the images, that at no time did I consent to the kiss that he gave me," Hermoso said. "I won't tolerate that my word is called into question, and even less so that words are invented which I didn't say."
Hermoso and her teammates called for "real change to help the national team to keep growing, to be able to bring this great success to the generations to come" and said they would not play for Spain while "the current management" remains at the RFEF.
The president of Spain's Sports Council (CSD) and its secretary of state for sport, Victor Francos, has confirmed that the CSD is seeking to remove Rubiales by bringing a complaint to the country's Administrative Sports Court (TAD).
"This assembly, far from resolving the situation, increased the controversy," Francos said. "The explanations given [by Rubiales] aren't sufficient. The CSD today begins the procedure to suspend Luis Rubiales immediately from the RFEF presidency. ... As the person responsible for Spanish sport I have to apologise to the players. They didn't deserve this this week.
"Neither the CSD nor its president can remove [Rubiales]. I can't sack anybody. But we can take the case to TAD if we believe a serious offence has been committed, and TAD can approve it or not."
In a separate statement posted later on social media, Hermoso again refuted Rubiales' claims.
"I didn't want to interfere in the multiple ongoing legal processes, but I feel obliged to state that the words of Luis Rubiales explaining the unfortunate incident are categorically false and part of the manipulative culture he himself has created," she posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"I clarify that at no time did the conversation occur which Luis Rubiales referred to, and his kiss was not consensual. In the same way, I want to repeat, as I did at the time, that the incident was not to my liking.
"The situation was a shock for me, in the context of the celebration, and with the passing of time and analysing in more detail those initial feelings, I feel the need to denounce this act as I believe no person in their work, sporting or social environment should be the victim of this kind of nonconsensual behaviour. I felt vulnerable and the victim of aggression, an impulsive, sexist act which was out of place and with no consent on my behalf."
She went on to accuse the RFEF of pressuring her and her loved ones to help justify Rubiales' actions.
"I was asked to make a joint statement to reduce the pressure on the president, but at that time my mind was only on enjoying the historic achievement together with my teammates. That's why I told the RFEF, as well as the media and people close to me, that I didn't want to make any kind of individual or collective statement on this matter.
"Despite my decision, I must say that I have felt under continuous pressure to come out with a statement which could justify Luis Rubiales' actions. Not only that, but in different ways and via different people the RFEF has put pressure on my family, friends and teammates to provide testimony which had little or nothing to do with my feelings."
Late Friday, the RFEF refuted parts of Hermoso's statement and said the federation and Rubiales will seek "as many legal actions as may correspond in defense of the honorability of the president."
Rubiales had been widely expected to announce his resignation Friday, but instead he used his platform at the federation's assembly to attempt to justify his actions and attack his critics.
A series of statements condemning his response followed from Spanish clubs, players, politicians and governing bodies.
"Everybody saw what happened," defender Irene Paredeswrote. "You [Hermoso] are the victim. I'm with you, friend."
Real Betis forward Borja Iglesias said he would not consider playing for the Spain men's national team until the situation is resolved.
Condemnation also came from players outside Spain.
"I'm disgusted by the public actions of Luis Rubiales," U.S. women's national team star Alex Morganwrote on X. "I stand by @Jennihermoso and the Spanish players. Winning a World Cup should be one of the best moments in these players' lives but instead it's overshadowed by assault, misogyny, and failures by the Spanish federation."
The U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement that "no player should ever be subjected to what Jenni Hermoso endured, and we're fully supportive of FIFA's disciplinary proceedings. Player safety should be the highest priority, and we call on everyone in the global soccer community to affirm this fundamental right."
England's players, beaten by Spain in the final, decried Rubiales' "unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organisation."
"The behaviour of those who think they are invincible must not be tolerated and people shouldn't take any convincing to take action against any form of harassment," a statement from the Lionesses added.
MOSCOW - A second plane linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin by some Russian media has no connection to the mercenary group and never has had, the CEO of the aircraft operator company told Reuters.
Russia's aviation authority has said Prigozhin was on board a private Embraer jet which crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow with no survivors. An investigation has yet to definitively identify the 10 people on board but Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to their families.
Russian media, mainly associated with the Wagner group's Telegram channel Grey Zone, had linked a second business jet with the tail number RA-02748 with the mercenary group, and had reported that it was also in the air at the time of the crash.
But the jet operator, Russian company Jetica LLC, denied any such link.
"Neither the plane itself nor its passengers are related to Wagner and never have been," Jetica's CEO Sergey Trifonov told Reuters.
This plane had not been rented out, Trifonov said, though he declined to say who its owner was.
The RA-02748 was landing in St. Petersburg on Wednesday evening on a flight from Moscow when the plane believed to be carrying Prigozhin crashed, flight tracking data shows. It then took off back to Moscow about 20 minutes later. REUTERS
Japan's environment ministry said it had collected seawater samples from 11 different locations on Friday, results of which would be released on Sunday.
The Fisheries Agency also pulled a flounder and a Gurnard fish early Friday from designated sampling spots near the pipe that released the Fukushima water.
"By publishing those data every day in a highly transparent fashion, we will demonstrate our actions based on scientific evidence," said Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of nuclear policies.
IAEA BACKING
TEPCO says that the water - more than 500 Olympic pools' worth - from cooling the remains of three reactors has been filtered of all radioactive elements except for tritium and is safe.
This is backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said on Thursday that samples taken from the first batch of diluted water prepared for discharge showed that tritium levels were well within safe limits.
"IAEA experts are there on the ground to serve as the eyes of the international community and ensure that the discharge is being carried out as planned consistent with IAEA safety standards," said the chief of the UN body, Rafael Grossi, in a statement.
Most analysts agree although environmental pressure group Greenpeace has said that the filtration process, known as ALPS, does not work and that a vast amount of radioactivity will be released into the ocean.
Japan's move iinfuriated China, which says the action contaminates the ocean, and widened a ban on aquatic produce in place for 10 Japanese prefectures to cover the whole country.
Nishimura on Friday echoed Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in urging China, Japan's biggest market for seafood, to reverse the ban.
"The Japanese government ... will strongly demand baseless regulations to be immediately terminated," Nishimura said.
South Korea's government, which is trying to improve relations with Japan in order to counter China, has endorsed the water release although some ordinary people are alarmed.
When Putin broke his silence on Thursday he paid a qualified tribute to the mercenary boss and the paramilitary group he led.
"I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 90s. He was a man of complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in his life, but he achieved the right results," Putin said.
In an address to Russians during the Wagner rebellion on Jun 23 to Jun 24 in which he warned against "civil war", Putin had called Prigozhin - once his ally - a "traitor".
But on Thursday, he said the Wagner members who had died in the crash had made a "significant contribution" to Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.
They had shared a common cause, Putin said, adding: "We remember that, we know that, and we will not forget that."
He said the investigation into the crash would take time, but added: "It will be conducted in full and brought to a conclusion."
"REASONABLE DOUBTS"
Some Western leaders expressed doubts that the crash had been an accident.
"There's not much that happens in Russia that Putin's not behind," said US President Joe Biden, after having said he did not know what happened.
France saw "reasonable doubts" about the crash, while Germany said it followed a pattern of "unclarified" fatalities in Russia.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said it was suspicious that "a disgraced former confidant of Putin suddenly, literally falls from the sky two months after he attempted a mutiny".
Even influential pro-Kremlin figures, such as state television personality and Putin ally Margarita Simonyan, seemed to suggest that it could have been an assassination.
"Among the versions that are being discussed (about the crash) is that it was staged. But personally, I'm leaning towards the more obvious one," she said on social media.
Russia's aviation authority published the passenger list for the Embraer private jet late on Wednesday.
It included Prigozhin and his right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, a shadowy figure who managed Wagner's operations and allegedly served in Russian military intelligence.
Russian police patrolled the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino, some 350km north of Moscow in the Tver region.
One woman living near Kuzhenkino said her neighbour had heard a roar and saw "sparkling from the plane", accompanied by fire.
"A neighbour ran up to me with shaking hands and when we went to the window I saw only one mushroom (cloud from the explosion), a black cloud," she said in a video published by state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
