Former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has been detained by Spanish authorities for questioning amid corruption allegations, amidst the backdrop of the “World Cup kiss-gate” scandal.

Detectives apprehended him upon his arrival from the Dominican Republic on an Air Europa flight at Madrid’s Barajas Airport around 10:30 am local time today, April 3.

Rubiales was immediately taken into custody by the Civil Guard upon disembarking, escorted into a police van, and transported to their headquarters in Tres Cantos.

He is expected to be formally informed of his rights and issued a court summons at a police station as part of an ongoing corruption investigation related to his tenure as head of the Spanish FA. The probe focuses on business deals, including one concerning the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

A judge is anticipated to interrogate him in a closed court session in the following days before he is released on bail, pending further investigation.

The inquiry, spearheaded by a judge based in Majadahonda on the outskirts of Madrid, is separate from the ‘Kissgate’ investigation.

Last month, public prosecutors involved in the ‘Kissgate’ case sought a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Rubiales over an ‘unwanted’ kiss he gave footballer Jenni Hermoso following Spain’s World Cup women’s team’s finals victory over England last August. The indictment included charges of sexual assault and coercion linked to alleged attempts to solicit the footballer’s support.

Around the same time, Spanish public prosecutors requested Rubiales’s arrest over alleged financial irregularities during his tenure at the Spanish FA. His residence in Granada was among the properties searched on March 20, although he was already in the Caribbean.

Rubiales initially planned to return to Spain on April 6 but adjusted his travel plans following a Spanish police operation in the Dominican Republic. He avoided a potentially embarrassing arrest by confirming his voluntary return and altering his travel itinerary.

Rubiales has denied wrongdoing in both the ongoing corruption probe and the ‘Kissgate’ case. In an upcoming TV interview with Spanish journalist Ana Pastor, he will refute allegations of embezzlement and manipulation, asserting that his finances are the result of his labor and savings.