 "Jennifer Hermoso celebrates with Luis Rubiales after the FIFA World Cup match. Image: Reuters")
Former Spanish football boss Luis Rubiales was found guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting player Jenni Hermoso for kissing her after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, an incident that overshadowed Spain’s first world title in women’s football and sparked debate about sexism in the sport.
A judge at Spain’s National Court ordered Rubiales to pay more than 10,000 euros ($10,400) in fines and prohibited him from getting within 200 meters of Hermoso or communicating with her for a year. Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence.
He was acquitted of a charge of coercion for allegedly trying to make Hermoso downplay the kiss on the lips during the awards ceremony after the final in Sydney.
Spanish media said Rubiales, who resigned from the Spanish football federation three weeks after the incident, was expected to appeal the ruling, which was issued as a written statement without a court hearing.
The lawyers for Rubiales and Hermoso did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
“A kiss without consent is sexual assault,” Spain’s equality minister Ana Redondo said after the verdict. “The words of the victim must be respected.”
The kiss sparked outrage in Spain and marred the celebrations of its first Women’s World Cup trophy.
In her testimony at the high-profile trial, the 34-year-old Hermoso said that she felt disrespected and that the kiss “stained one of the happiest days of my life.”
Rubiales, 47, insisted that the kiss was consensual, and his lawyers argued that even if it hadn’t been, it shouldn’t be characterized as sexual assault.
Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of 2 1/2 years for Rubiales — one year for sexual assault and 1 1/2 years for coercion.
The court acquitted three other former Spanish federation members accused of coercion: former women’s team coach Jorge Vilda, sports director of the men’s team Albert Luque, and head of marketing Ruben Rivera.
Hermoso testified that she was pressured into recording a video with Rubiales to downplay the kiss.
Rubiales and the other defendants said they never tried to pressure Hermoso into doing anything. They claimed she didn’t give any importance to the kiss when it happened.
The scandal ignited a crisis in the women’s squad.
Hermoso and her teammates refused to play as long as Rubiales was in charge and returned to the team only weeks later when the government mediated an agreement with the federation interim president to overhaul its protocols and give more support to its women’s side. That included the elimination of the term “women’s” from the official team name.
Rubiales initially insisted he had done nothing wrong and said he was the victim of a witch hunt by “false feminists” but resigned after FIFA suspended him and opened a disciplinary case.
During his testimony, he said he regretted the kiss because it wasn’t the right attitude for a national federation president. He said it should not be considered sexual assault, though.