Former President of the Spanish Football Federation faces accusations of sexual assault and coercion, in a case dating back to the Women’s World Cup final in 2023
Former President of the Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales begins to be tried on Monday for sexual assault because of the kiss to player Jenni Hermoso in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.
Rubiales will also be tried by coercion on Jenni Hermoso, along with former Spain director of Spain Albert Luque, former female coach Jorge Vilda and former Marketing Director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Ruben Rivera.
The accusation considers that the kiss on the lips given by former RFEF leader to Jenni Hermoso at Sydney stadium after winning the world title for the Spain selection on August 20, 2023, “was not consented,” The as “a unilateral and surprise action.”
The Public Prosecution Service, which in Spain has allegations before the trial, asked for two and a half years of arrest for Luis Rubiales.
The trial starts Monday in San Fernando de Henares, around Madrid, with the testimony of Jenni Hermoso, who assured that the kiss was not consented and considered him “an aggression”, “dislocated and sexist.”
The player also complained about pressures to make public statements that were apologizing Rubiales and the federation issued a press release in which he attributed statements he never made.
Luis Rubiales, who will be heard at the trial on February 12, claimed that he was “a small consented kiss” and “a kiss of celebration among friends” and said he was the victim of “false feminism.”
Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso at Sydney stadium when the Spanish team was being congratulated by the World Cup victory, in a moment broadcast on televisions from around the world.
Photo: Mariscal/EPA
Shortly before, the televisions had captured another behavior of the then RFEF President on the stadium bench that also turned around the world: to celebrate the victory of the national team, a few meters from the Queen of Spain, Letizia, and Infanta Sofia, Understanding Rubiales grabbed the genitals.
In the face of criticism of the behaviors of Rubiales from various sectors, including those of the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, the then president of RFEF rejected fire, but eventually left office on September 10, 2023.
Weeks later, on October 30, FIFA suspended it from all soccer-related activities.
This case eventually dictated and precipitates Rubiales’ fall at the head of RFEF, a position he held between May 2018 and September 2023 and whose management is suspected of alleged corruption in several contracts that Spanish justice is investigating.
RFEF itself has plunged into a crisis since the fall of Rubiales, who have already succeeded two presidents, also involved in lawsuits on suspicions of corruption.
The federation has been for months under the protection of the Spanish government, with the aim of helping “stabilization” of the body, with a view to organizing the 2030 World Championship, in conjunction with Portugal and Morocco.
As for Jenni Hermoso, the case has transformed it, as well as the other Spanish national team players, a symbol of the struggle against sexism and gender inequality in sport.
The players, who were outraged by Rubiales’s kiss to have eclipsed Spain’s triumph in the 2023 World Cup, joined the support with Hermoso and even made a strike to denounce macho violence, discrimination and inequality of treatment between male and female teams .
The ‘hasgtah’ #seacabo (“is over”) that the players launched on social networks at the time also became Spain in a movement for gender equality and against machismo and sexual violence.
