The former Spanish soccer federation chief, Luis Rubiales, is set to stand trial for an unsolicited kiss of national soccer player Jennifer Hermoso. This follows a ruling by a High Court judge in Madrid who accepted the case. The kiss in question occurred after Spain’s World Cup victory last year. Rubiales is facing charges of sexual assault and coercion, for which Spanish prosecutors are seeking a total of two years and six months in prison.
Rubiales has denied any wrongdoing and claims he had received consent from Hermoso. However, Hermoso has previously stated that she did not consent to the kiss and felt disrespected by Rubiales. Despite apologies from Rubiales, the case is moving forward with a trial.
The Public Ministry in Spain has formally accused Rubiales of sexual assault for allegedly kissing Hermoso without her consent. Additionally, the ministry has accused former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda, the team’s current sporting director Albert Luque, and the federation’s head of marketing Ruben Rivera of coercing Hermoso into stating that the kiss was consensual.
The High Court will also try all four individuals on charges of coercion. The court has set bail amounts for Rubiales and the others involved in the case, with a separate bail for Rubiales’ sexual assault charge and a joint bail for all accused individuals for the coercion charge.
Hermoso has spoken out about her experience with Rubiales following their encounter last year. She stated that while she initially believed it was okay to give him a peck on the cheek as they celebrated their victory together, she soon realized that he had crossed boundaries when he pressed his lips against hers without her consent.
Rubiales has maintained his innocence and claimed that he received consent from Hermoso before kissing her. However, his behavior was widely criticized as inappropriate given his position as head of Spain’s soccer federation at the time.
The trial is likely to generate significant attention both domestically and internationally due to its high-profile status involving some of Spain’s most prominent sports figures.
