MADRID, Spain: A Spanish court on Thursday fined former football chief Luis Rubiales €10,500 ($11,300) for sexual assault after he kissed footballer Jenni Hermoso without her consent after Spain’s victory over England in the FIFA World Cup final 2023 in Sydney.
However, the court acquitted him and three others of coercion charges in the case.
After Spain’s victory over England in the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney, as the players were receiving their medals, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips. The incident sparked widespread protests and calls for Rubiales’ resignation.
The court’s decision also imposed a ban on Rubiales, prohibiting him from approaching Hermoso within a 200-meter radius or communicating with her for a year.
Hermoso, 34, on the opening day of the trial on February 3 said that she felt “disrespected” after a non-consensual kiss that “should not happen in any social or work setting”.
Her teammates told the court that she felt “overwhelmed” after the incident, while her brother Rafael Hermoso said she had come under pressure to downplay the incident to protect the federation chief.
However, Rubiales, 47, told the court on Tuesday he was sure Hermoso consented to the kiss as she went up to receive her winning medal. “She squeezed me very tightly under my armpits, she lifted me, and when I came down I asked her if I can give you a kiss, and she said ‘OK’, that’s what happened,” he said. He also rejected putting pressure on the footballer after the incident.
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He conceded to making a mistake but denied any offence had been committed. It is pertinent to mention that during an emergency federation meeting in August 2023, he minimised the significance of the kiss and dismissed calls for his resignation.
Rubiales tendered his resignation in September of 2023 after FIFA suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation against him.
Hermoso, who now plays for Mexican club Tigres, was not called up to the national squad immediately after the World Cup.
Equality Minister Ana Redondo welcomed the court ruling, adding it demonstrated that “when there is no consent, there is aggression”.
