MADRID – Spanish World Cup-winning star Jennifer Hermoso told a judge on Jan 2 that the kiss forced on her by disgraced former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales was “at no point consensual” and that she had come under pressure to defend his actions.
The forward spent around 2½ hours speaking behind closed doors to judge Francisco de Jorge, who is examining evidence, including television footage, before deciding whether to approve charges and advance the case to trial.
She said as she left the court accompanied by her lawyer: “All is in the hands of justice, that’s all I can say...
“The process will take its course.”
The 33-year-old – Spain’s all-time top scorer – lodged a criminal complaint of sexual assault and coercion in September 2023 over the kiss on the winners’ podium on Aug 20, saying she had not wanted to be kissed, and that she felt “vulnerable and a victim of an aggression”.
Rubiales, who resigned as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on Sept 10 amid heavy pressure after previously refusing to quit, insisted that the kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual”.
The case sent shock waves through the sporting world and society in Spain and abroad, prompting protests and further accusations by women that prominent or powerful men had forced intimacy on them. In Spain, the social media hashtag #SeAcabo (“It’s over”), became a rallying cry.
Hermoso filed a lawsuit against Rubiales in September and told the judge she had come under pressure to defend the 46-year-old, both on the flight back from Australia and on a subsequent team holiday to Ibiza in the Balearic Islands.
“After the event, the situation experienced by the victim, both on the flight back to Spain and during her stay in Ibiza was one of constant harassment by the parties under investigation, which disrupted her normal life, causing her anxiety and distress,” a source said, quoting Hermoso’s testimony.
Under Spanish law, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault – a criminal category that groups all types of sexual violence. Penalties for such a kiss range from a fine to four years in prison.
Rubiales, who is subject to a restraining order banning him from being within 200m of Hermoso, is also accused of “coercion” for allegedly pressuring her to justify his actions, which were broadcast live around the world.
As well as possible criminal charges, he faces an inquiry by Spain’s top sports court over alleged “serious misconduct”, and world football governing body Fifa has banned him from office for three years.
Rubiales appeared in court on Sept 15.
In October, the judge quizzed three others over allegations they also pressured Hermoso – former women’s coach Jorge Vilda, men’s team director Albert Luque and Spanish football federation marketing boss Ruben Rivera.
Numerous other witnesses have also testified in court over the pressure faced by Hermoso, among them two-time Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Alexia Putellas and two other Spain teammates. REUTERS, AFP
