Jenni Hermoso, the Spanish World Cup champion, provides testimony in court regarding the controversy surrounding Luis Rubiales’ kiss.
Jenni Hermoso, the Spanish World Cup champion, provided her testimony to a judge regarding the incident where Luis Rubiales, the former Spanish football chief, kissed her during the Women’s World Cup trophy ceremony.
Jenni Hermoso, the Spanish football star, gave her testimony in the Madrid High Court stating that the kiss she received from former football federation president Luis Rubiales after Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup was not consensual. Following her testimony, a judge will now determine whether Rubiales should be prosecuted for sexual assault and coercion.
Hermoso’s statement was made during a closed-door session that lasted approximately 2-1/2 hours, where investigating judge Francisco de Jorge reviewed various evidence, including television footage. Based on this evidence, the judge will decide whether to proceed with charging Rubiales and taking the case to trial. As she left the court with her lawyer, Hermoso stated, “All is in the hands of justice, that’s all I can say. The process will follow its course.”
Hermoso, the highest-scoring player in Spain’s history, lodged a legal complaint in September, accusing someone of sexual assault and coercion related to the incident where she was kissed on the winners’ podium on August 20. She expressed her unwillingness to be kissed and described feeling “vulnerable and victimized by an act of aggression.”
Rubiales, who stepped down as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on September 10 amidst intense pressure, following his initial refusal to do so, stated that the kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric, and consensual.”
This incident sent shockwaves through the world of sports and society in Spain and beyond, leading to protests and allegations from women who claimed that influential or powerful men had imposed unwanted intimacy upon them. The social media hashtag #SeAcabo (“It’s over”) gained momentum as a symbol of resistance in Spain.
Apart from potential criminal charges, Rubiales is currently being investigated by Spain’s highest sports court for alleged “serious misconduct,” and FIFA has imposed a three-year suspension on him from his position.
According to High Court prosecutor Marta Durantez Gil, the sexual assault accusation that Rubiales may face carries a prison term ranging from one to four years. In her complaint, she asserted that Rubiales and his associates exerted pressure on her and her family to declare that they “justified and approved what happened.” When Rubiales appeared before Judge Francisco de Jorge in mid-September, a restraining order was issued, prohibiting him from approaching Hermoso.
