THE TRIAL OF Spain’s former football chief Luis Rubiales, accused of giving a forced kiss to star forward Jenni Hermoso and subsequent coercion, has gotten underway.
The 47-year-old was seen from around the world during the post-match coverage cupping Hermoso’s head and giving her an unsolicited kiss after Spain beat England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia.
Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales; one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.
The kiss was given “unexpectedly and without the consent or acceptance of the player”, prosecutors wrote in their indictment.
“Constant and repeated pressure was exerted directly on the player Jennifer Hermoso and through her family and friends with the aim of justifying and publicly approving the kiss that Luis Rubiales gave her against her will,” it added.
Speaking at the trial today, Hermoso said that a forced kiss “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting… a kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so”.
“As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” added Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for Spain’s national women’s team.
“At no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it,” she said during more than two hours of testimony.
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“I don’t have to be crying in a room or have thrown myself to the ground when the act happened to imply I didn’t like it.”
The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales’ career broke on 20 August 2023, moments after the women’s national team had clinched World Cup glory in Sydney.
As Hermoso joined her teammates in collecting their winner’s medals, Rubiales clasped her head and kissed her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back.
The act unleashed a public outcry at what critics deemed an abuse of power. A recent reform of the Spanish criminal code classifies a non-consensual kiss as sexual assault.
Rubiales, who was already under investigation for alleged corruption in his role as federation head, finally gave into pressure and stepped down in September 2023, two days after the start of a probe over the kiss. He had been federation chief since 2018.
Rubiales is scheduled to take the stand on 12 February. He has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.
Hermoso said Luque asked her to help resolve “the biggest mess” of Rubiales’ life and that federation officials wanted her to release a video or a statement hushing up the incident on “countless” occasions.
Testifying after Hermoso, the federation’s press chief Patricia Perez Requena told the court that the director of communications Pablo Garcia Cuervo said they had to stop the “media noise” as they left Australia.
A press statement was written to downplay the kiss in her name, Requena said, adding that a tired Hermoso read the text and said “do what you want”.
Hermoso later said she did not seek the kiss and asked why she had to “keep doing this sort of things” after the statement was drafted, said Requena.
Hermoso has also recounted in a documentary that the federation demanded she appear in a video and downplay the kiss.
Hermoso, who now plays in Mexico, said she faced death threats and insufferable media pressure after returning to Spain and left Madrid with her family due to the fear she felt.
“Until today it feels like my life has been on stand by” due to the case, she added.
Among the accused alongside Rubiales are ex-women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and two former federation officials, Ruben Rivera and Albert Luque.
They also stand accused of trying to coerce Hermoso, with prosecutors seeking 18 months’ jail against them.
Forced kiss by Spain football chief 'stained one of the happiest days of my life', star player tells trial
LAST UPDATE | 3 Feb
THE TRIAL OF Spain’s former football chief Luis Rubiales, accused of giving a forced kiss to star forward Jenni Hermoso and subsequent coercion, has gotten underway.
The 47-year-old was seen from around the world during the post-match coverage cupping Hermoso’s head and giving her an unsolicited kiss after Spain beat England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia.
Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales; one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.
The kiss was given “unexpectedly and without the consent or acceptance of the player”, prosecutors wrote in their indictment.
“Constant and repeated pressure was exerted directly on the player Jennifer Hermoso and through her family and friends with the aim of justifying and publicly approving the kiss that Luis Rubiales gave her against her will,” it added.
Speaking at the trial today, Hermoso said that a forced kiss “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting… a kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so”.
“As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” added Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for Spain’s national women’s team.
“At no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it,” she said during more than two hours of testimony.
“I don’t have to be crying in a room or have thrown myself to the ground when the act happened to imply I didn’t like it.”
The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales’ career broke on 20 August 2023, moments after the women’s national team had clinched World Cup glory in Sydney.
As Hermoso joined her teammates in collecting their winner’s medals, Rubiales clasped her head and kissed her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back.
The act unleashed a public outcry at what critics deemed an abuse of power. A recent reform of the Spanish criminal code classifies a non-consensual kiss as sexual assault.
Rubiales, who was already under investigation for alleged corruption in his role as federation head, finally gave into pressure and stepped down in September 2023, two days after the start of a probe over the kiss. He had been federation chief since 2018.
Rubiales is scheduled to take the stand on 12 February. He has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.
Hermoso said Luque asked her to help resolve “the biggest mess” of Rubiales’ life and that federation officials wanted her to release a video or a statement hushing up the incident on “countless” occasions.
Testifying after Hermoso, the federation’s press chief Patricia Perez Requena told the court that the director of communications Pablo Garcia Cuervo said they had to stop the “media noise” as they left Australia.
A press statement was written to downplay the kiss in her name, Requena said, adding that a tired Hermoso read the text and said “do what you want”.
Hermoso later said she did not seek the kiss and asked why she had to “keep doing this sort of things” after the statement was drafted, said Requena.
Hermoso has also recounted in a documentary that the federation demanded she appear in a video and downplay the kiss.
Hermoso, who now plays in Mexico, said she faced death threats and insufferable media pressure after returning to Spain and left Madrid with her family due to the fear she felt.
“Until today it feels like my life has been on stand by” due to the case, she added.
Among the accused alongside Rubiales are ex-women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and two former federation officials, Ruben Rivera and Albert Luque.
They also stand accused of trying to coerce Hermoso, with prosecutors seeking 18 months’ jail against them.
© AFP 2025
Written by AFP and posted on TheJournal.ie
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