Sport's highest court dismisses Rubiales' appeal against 3-year ban from soccer

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday dismissed an appeal by former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales against a three-year ban from the sport imposed by FIFA for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.

The decision by a panel at sport’s highest court came a day after Rubiales was found guilty of sexually assaulting Hermoso, ordered to pay more than 10,000 euros ($10,400) in fines and was prohibited from getting within 200 meters of Hermoso or communicating with her for a year.

Rubiales was banned by FIFA in October 2023. That barred him from working in soccer until after the men’s 2026 World Cup.

CAS said its panel determined that Rubiales’ conduct at the Women’s World Cup final “constituted multiple and serious violations of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and saw no reason to consider the sanction to be disproportionate.

“The CAS Panel ruled that the sanction imposed is reasonable and proportional,” the court said.

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