Luis Rubiales, the former head of football for Spain, is set to testify on Monday in connection with the forced kiss he gave star striker Jenni Hermoso.
After Spain defeated England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia, the 47-year-old cradled Hermoso’s head and gave her an unexpected kiss, sparking uproar throughout the world.
Rubiales faces two and a half years in prison, one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss, and 18 months for allegedly pressuring 34-year-old Hermoso to minimise the occurrence, according to the prosecution.
Prosecutors stated in their indictment that the kiss was given “unexpectedly and without the consent or acceptance of the player.”
“To publicly justify and approve the kiss that Luis Rubiales gave Jennifer Hermoso against her will, constant and repeated pressure was applied to her directly as well as through her family and friends,” the statement read.
The much-awaited trial is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am (0900 GMT) in the National Court in San Fernando de Henares, close to Madrid, and is projected to last until February 19.
February 12 is when Rubiales is expected to testify. He has rejected any compulsion and described the kiss as a harmless “peck between friends celebrating.”
Two former federation executives, Albert Luque and Ruben Rivera, as well as former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda, are also accused with Rubiales. Prosecutors are requesting that they serve 18 months in prison for their alleged attempts to coerce Hermoso.
Shortly after the women’s national team won the World Cup in Sydney on August 20, 2023, the controversy that shook Spanish football and destroyed Rubiales’ career broke.
Rubiales gave Hermoso two slaps on the back before releasing her after kissing her on the lips and clasping her head as she joined her teammates in collecting their winner’s medals.
The conduct sparked a public outcry over what some saw as a misuse of authority. A non-consensual kiss is now considered sexual assault under a recent amendment to the Spanish criminal code.
Two days after the inquiry into the kiss began, in September 2023, Rubiales, who was already being investigated for suspected corruption in his position as head of the federation, ceded his position in response to criticism. He took over as head of the federation in 2018.
“Se acabo” (meaning “It’s over”), a recent Netflix documentary that examines the players’ resentment after the scandal overshadowed their historic achievement, revealed that Hermoso cried after the kiss.
The federation insisted that she be featured in a film where she would assert that Rubiales’ kiss “was nothing; it was… joy, euphoria,” according to Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the national women’s team who currently plays in Mexico.
