Former Spanish Football Chief Found Guilty of Sexual Assault Against Player Following World Cup Incident
Luis Rubiales was involved in a global controversy by kissing Jenni Hermoso after Spain’s triumph at the Women’s World Cup in 2023.
The former leader of Spanish soccer, Luis Rubiales, was convicted on Thursday of kissing a player on the lips without her consent following Spain’s win in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.
The 47-year-old Rubiales was also instructed to stay 200 meters away from the player, 34-year-old Jenni Hermoso, and refrain from any communication with her for a year.
Additionally, he was ordered to pay her 3,000 euros in compensation.
Rubiales was cleared of coercion charges related to downplaying the kiss during the award ceremony after the final in Sydney.
He has the option to appeal the verdict.
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The kiss caused an uproar in Spain, overshadowing Spain’s historic victory at the Women’s World Cup, where the Spanish national team, known as La Roja, defeated England in the final.
During the high-profile trial lasting approximately two weeks, Rubiales claimed that Hermoso had consented to the kiss, but the player refuted this claim.
Prosecutors sought a 2 1/2-year prison term for Rubiales, with one year for sexual assault and 18 months for coercion. They also wanted the other three defendants accused of coercion to face 1 1/2 years of imprisonment if found guilty.
The other trio of former Spanish federation members accused of coercing Hermoso to affirm that the kiss was consensual were acquitted. These individuals included Jorge Vilda, former women’s team coach; Albert Luque, sports director of the men’s team; and Ruben Rivera, head of marketing.
Hermoso testified in the Madrid court that she felt disrespected and pressured into recording a video with Rubiales, who was the federation president at the time, to downplay the kissing incident.
She expressed that the aftermath of the kiss tarnished one of the happiest days of her life, leaving her overwhelmed, crying, and exhausted in the hours and days following. Her teammates corroborated her testimony.
Rubiales and the other defendants denied pressuring Hermoso and claimed she didn’t view the kiss as significant when it happened on the pitch in Sydney.
Rubiales resigned three weeks after the incident under pressure and received a three-year ban from FIFA, soccer’s governing body.
At the time of his resignation, his annual salary at RFEF was slightly over 675,000 euros.
Rubiales later characterized himself as a victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
He expressed regret for the kiss, acknowledging that it was not the right behavior for a national federation president, although he deemed it not to constitute sexual assault.
The incident led to widespread outrage in Spain and worldwide, sparking one of the most notable scandals in Spanish soccer history.
Spain’s left-wing government, which demanded Rubiales’ ouster from RFEF in the aftermath of the kiss, commended the verdict for upholding the victim’s allegations.
Prominent Spanish feminist and politician Irene Montero, a member of the European Parliament, hailed the ruling as a triumph for the movement, although she lamented the “minimal fine and damages.”
As for a potential appeal, Hermoso’s lawyer indicated that the decision rested with his client on whether she wished to continue the legal battle.
Representatives of Rubiales’ legal team are yet to comment on the outcome.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
