Spain’s Luis Rubiales to face trial for kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent at Women’s World Cup
- State prosecutors accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault and for allegedly coercing Jenni Hermoso to publicly support him in the public backlash against him
- Hermoso lodged a criminal complaint of sexual assault and coercion over the kiss on the winners’ podium, saying she felt ‘vulnerable and a victim of an aggression’
A Spanish High Court judge proposed on Thursday that former football federation chief Luis Rubiales stand trial over the kiss he planted on player Jenni Hermoso’s lips after Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup.
Judge Francisco de Jorge ruled that his probe points to Rubiales’ kiss “being unconsented and carried out unilaterally and in a surprising fashion,” the court said.
State prosecutors have accused Rubiales of sexual assault and for allegedly coercing Hermoso to publicly support him in the public backlash against him.
Despite initially claiming he was the victim of a campaign led by “false feminists,” Rubiales eventually resigned from his post for his behaviour during the World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney in August. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The judge also ruled that along with Rubiales, former Spain coach Jorge Vilda, sports director of Spain’s men’s team Albert Luque, and the federation former head of marketing should be tried for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to defend Rubiales, a step she refused to take.
The trial date will be determined.
Hermoso testified before the investigative judge in January. The 33-year-old forward, Spain’s all-time leading scorer who plays in the Mexican league, has been widely supported in the country. The kiss scandal has many hoping it will spur a reckoning with sexism in sports.
