The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales will be tried in February 2025 by a court in the Madrid region “for the non-consensual kiss” he gave the player Jenni Hermoso, according to what was announced today by justice.
The National Court “has indicated between February 3 and 19 of next year the trial of the former president of the Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales” for sexual assault and coercion for the kiss he imposed on the player at the end of the World Cup final. in Australia with a Spanish victory, the Spanish justice system reported in a statement.
Along with Rubiales, the former women’s coach Jorge Vilda, the former sports director of the national team Albert Luque and the former marketing manager Rubén Rivera will sit on the dock, who allegedly pressured Hermoso to downplay the importance of that kiss that caused a global scandal.
The trial will take place in San Fernando de Henares, a town about half an hour from Madrid to the east.
The Prosecutor’s Office requests a sentence of two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, for the crime of sexual assault, for the kiss itself, and for coercion, for having pressured the athlete to “justify and approve the kiss that against her will.” “had received, according to the letter from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecution also requested two years of supervised release once the prison sentence is served, a ban on communicating or approaching Hermoso for four years and compensating the player with US$54,000.
In turn, the Prosecutor’s Office requests one year and six months in prison for Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
On August 20, 2023, Rubiales kissed Spanish number 10 Jenni Hermoso on the lips in front of cameras around the world, a few minutes after La Roja’s victory against England in the final of the Women’s World Cup.
His gesture caused a wave of indignation in Spain and abroad, and Rubiales ended up resigning the following month.
Since a recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that groups together all types of sexual violence.
Source: Ambito
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