Luis Rubiales was the former Spanish football federation chief. Rubiales is charged with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion. This occurred during the on-field medal ceremony for Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory in August 2023.
Prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for Rubiales. In addition, €50 000 (£42 000) in damages; for him to be banned from working as a sports official and a court order banning him from being near Jennifer Hermoso.
Women’s World Cup winner, Jennifer Hermoso, has said that an unwanted kiss from the former Spanish chief, "Tainted the happiest day of my life" on the first day of his trial in Madrid. Hermoso testified at the trial on Monday, with Rubiales scheduled to follow on 12 February. The trial is expected to last until 19 February.
"I knew I was being kissed by my boss and that should not happen in any social or work environment," Hermoso said in court in the Spanish capital. "Until today it seems that my life has been on standby, honestly I have not lived freely," the 34-year-old footballer said.
The kiss was captured on camera during the medal presentation ceremony and quickly went viral on social media. Protests followed in a number of Spanish cities, with demonstrators seeking to highlight the continued prevalence of a culture of misogyny in sport; as well as wider Spanish society.
In response, Rubiales, 47, said that the kiss had been, "mutual," although Hermoso has always denied that this is the case.
On Monday, Hermoso also testified that Rubiales had pressured her to make a statement downplaying the incident amid the public backlash against him. "And I told him no, that I wasn’t going to do anything," she said. "I told him I was sorry, but I wasn't going to do it."
Oddly, the men's Spanish manager, Luis de la Fuente, might lose his job. On Tuesday, the declarations to the court continued, with the Spainish manager giving his testimony, amid frequent frustration from the judge with the lack of clarity given by some of the witnesses. De la Fuente was involved on that basis but now Cadena SER (via Diario AS) are reporting that the prosecution are considering charging de la Fuente with perjury.
They believe that de la Fuente may not have been entirely honest on two occasions. Firstly, de la Fuente testified that he was in, 'another part of an office' during a meeting with Rubiales, in which the ex-RFEF President discussed strategy for the crisis management in the aftermath of his alleged sexual assault. Other witnesses say he was there.
When giving his statement to the police before the trial, de la Fuente admitted he was aware of Rubiales and the plan to exculpate him on the flight back from the World Cup to Spain. During the trial, de la Fuente testified in court that he was asleep while this was going on. If this does come to pass, it will only come to light at the end of the trial, which will see testimony for the next two weeks.
The scandal escalated when Hermoso publicly stated, "I didn’t like it," during an Instagram live session, sparking global outrage. FIFA intervened, finding Rubiales guilty of violating Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and banning him from football for three years.
Key Revelations from Hermoso’s Testimony:
1.The Spanish FA released a statement on her behalf without her consent.
2.She was presented with the statement upon arrival in Madrid, after the World Cup final.
3.She felt isolated and received no support from the federation.
4.She endured death threats and lost her sense of freedom after the incident.
I have to side with Jennifer Hermoso and the demonstrators. Just because you're the boss, that doesn't allow you access to do whatever you want. Rubiales should be punished. I would be shocked if there's a juror that buys into his defence and his half-arsed reasoning.