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The Spanish football federation says it will be taking legal action over midfielder Jenni Hermoso's comments about president Luis Rubiales.

Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips during the presentation ceremony after Spain beat England 1-0 in the Women's World Cup final.

Hermoso says she didn't consent to the kiss.

So far, 81 female Spanish players have said they will not play for the national team until Rubiales is removed from his post.

The Spanish football federation says Hermoso lifted Rubiales off the ground, and accuses her of lying.

Rubiales has refused to resign, saying "a social assassination is taking place" and that he will "fight until the end".

During this row, Luis Rubiales has defended himself by claiming that Jenni Hermoso lifted him off the ground during the trophy presentation (their embrace is pictured above).

"Jenni was the one who lifted me up," he said during a Spanish football federation meeting yesterday.

"I told her to 'forget about the penalty (that she missed in the World Cup final)' and I said to her 'a little peck?' and she said 'OK'."

He then planted the kiss on her lips.

Hermoso denied the entire conversation in a statement on Friday, saying that Rubiales' words were "categorically false and part of the manipulative culture that he himself has generated".

She said that "in no case did I seek to raise (lift) the president".

This morning, the Spanish football federation called Hermoso's statement "lies", and said it would take legal action over her comments. It repeated the claim that she applied force to lift Rubiales' feet off the ground.