The trial of former Spanish football head Luis Rubiales for the forced kiss he gave star forward Jenni Hermoso concluded on Friday, February 14, with a verdict expected in many weeks.
Rubiales is accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso in 2023 after Spain won the women’s World Cup in Australia, as well as coercion for allegedly attempting to persuade the player to downplay the encounter after the fact.
The global outcry over the kiss pushed Rubiales to retire in shame, shedding light on the prevalence of macho culture and misogyny in sports.
Hermoso, 34, claims she did not agree to the kiss, but Rubiales, 47, denies wrongdoing and claims it was consensual.
“With this, believe it or not, we are done,” Judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto told the court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid, after Rubiales and the three other accused declined to make a final remark.
The prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, one year for sexual assault, and 18 months for Hermoso’s coercion.
Along with Rubiales, former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and two former federation executives were charged.
They are also accused of attempting to compel Hermoso, and prosecutors are seeking 18 months in prison for them.
– ‘Made a mistake’ –
Rubiales clasps Hermoso’s head at the World Cup medal presentation and kisses her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back, according to video footage from the scandal that rocked Spanish football.
Hermoso stated on the first day of the trial that she felt “disrespected” following a nonconsensual kiss, which “should not happen in any social or work setting.”
Her teammates have testified under oath that she cried and felt “overwhelmed” after the encounter, while her brother Rafael Hermoso has stated that she was pressured to downplay the affair to protect the federation chief.
Rubiales told the court on Tuesday that he was “totally sure” Hermoso consented to the kiss, which was broadcast live around the world, and denied putting pressure on her following the incident.
“She squeezed me very tightly under my armpits, she lifted me, and when I came down I asked her if I could give you a kiss, and she said ‘OK’, that’s what happened,” he stated, calling the kiss “an act of affection.”
Rubiales admitted he “made a mistake” on the podium and his attitude “was not appropriate,” stating he should have “been in a more institutional role,” but denied any wrongdoing had occurred.
While his actions were “inappropriate,” it was not “criminal,” according to his lawyer, Olga Tubau, who described the kiss as an “expression of uncontrollable joy.”
Video footage of Hermoso rejoicing and sipping champagne with her teammates in the locker room shortly after the incident shows that the player was not offended by the kiss, she added.
– ‘Entitled to celebrate’ –
During her closing remarks on Wednesday, public prosecutor Marta Durantez Gil rejected this claim, stating that there is “no doubt” the kiss was “non-consensual”.
“How long will we require heroic actions from the victim of a sexual assault? “was she not entitled to celebrate such a sporting victory?” she inquired.
Rubiales’ demeanour on the stand contrasted with the defiance he demonstrated when the story emerged.
During an emergency federation meeting in August 2023, he downplayed the significance of the kiss and refused calls for his resignation, railing against “false feminism.”
Rubiales resigned in September of that year after FIFA suspended him and Spanish authorities began a probe into suspected sexual assault. He had been the federation’s chief since 2018.
Hermoso, the all-time leading scorer for the Spain women’s team who now plays for Mexican club Tigres, was not called up immediately following the World Cup because new coach Montse Tome wanted to safeguard the player.
