Spain's star women's soccer player Jenni Hermoso could be sued and FIFA suspends Luis Rubiales as World Cup kiss fiasco escalates

• FIFA suspended Spain's soccer chief Luis Rubiales from "all football-related activities" for 90 days.
• He'd refused to resign after kissing star player Jenni Hermoso after Spain's World Cup win.

One of Spain's star soccer players could face legal action after the country's football association said it would sue her for saying she did not consent to a kiss with the organization's president.

The incident occurred after Spain's 1-0 victory over England in the final of the 2023 women's World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

Luis Rubiales, the president of Spain's soccer federation, kissed Jenni Hermoso during the presentation ceremony. He also grabbed his crotch while celebrating his team's win while standing near Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter, Infanta Sofía.

Rubiales has refused to resign from his position over the incident, but FIFA announced Saturday that Rubiales had been provisionally suspended from "all football-related activities" at national and international level for 90 days.

Soccer's global governing body said Rubiales had been informed of the disciplinary committee's decision, and been ordered not to contact Hermoso or those close to her.

The Spanish government earlier said it was looking to suspend Rubiales, the BBC reported.

On Friday Rubiales fired back at critics, claiming the kiss had been "mutual, euphoric and consensual."

"Jenni was the one who lifted me up," he added. "I told her to 'forget about the penalty' and I said to her 'a little peck?' and she said 'OK'."

Hermoso contradicted Rubiales' version of events in an Instagram statement, saying his words were "categorically false."

"I want to make it clear that at no time did the conversation to which Mr. Luis Rubiales refers to in his address take place, and, above all, was his kiss ever consensual," the post says. "Simply put, I was not respected."

Before the FIFA move, the Spanish federation said it would take legal action over what it called Hermoso's "lies," the BBC reported.

"The evidence is conclusive," the organization said. "Mr President has not lied."

The report said the Spanish body issued four photographs of the kiss, each accompanied by an analysis, which it claimed proved Hermoso lifted Rubiales' feet off the ground.

Following Rubiales' refusal to step down, 81 Spanish players said they would refuse to play for the national team until he is removed from his role.

"After everything that happened during the Women's World Cup medal ceremony, we want to state that all the players who sign this letter will not return to a selection for the national team if the current leaders continue," the statement read.

The players' strike comes as Spain is set to take on Sweden at the UEFA Women's Nations League tournament next month.

The Spanish federation also addressed Hermoso's teammates refusal to play in its statement announcing legal action, saying that players have an "obligation" to represent their country if selected for the team.

Representatives for the Spanish federation and Hermoso did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.