MOSCOW, September 18 – The President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Aleksander Čeferin, considered it completely illogical to assess the actions of the former head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales as a criminal offense.

During the awards ceremony for the winners of the Women’s World Cup, which took place in Australia and New Zealand, Rubiales hugged and kissed national team player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips. Many journalists and fans called his actions excessive. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has temporarily suspended Rubiales from all football-related activities. The Spaniard later resigned as president of the organization, and the Spanish National Court opened a criminal case against Rubiales.

“It is necessary to create a code of conduct that would clearly establish the boundaries of acceptable behavior and determine the consequences for crossing this line,” the UEFA head added.

On September 15, the Spanish national team players sent a statement to the RFEF, in which they noted that the personnel decisions made – the resignation of Rubiales from the post of head of the organization – were not enough. They are calling for a restructuring of the presidential cabinet, communications and marketing, and RFEF’s integrity office.