A Spanish court on Thursday convicted former football chief Luis Rubiales of sexual assault over the forced kiss he gave star forward Jenni Hermoso and fined him 10,800 euros ($11,300).
But the court acquitted him and the three other accused of the charge of coercion in the case.
Prosecutors had sought a prison term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales — one year for sexual assault and 18 months for coercion — for having allegedly pressured the player to downplay the incident.
Rubiales was accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso in 2023 following Spain’s triumph in the women’s World Cup in Australia, as well as coercion for allegedly trying to convince her to downplay the incident afterwards.
The global outcry over the kiss forced Rubiales to resign in disgrace and thrust the spotlight on the prevalence of macho culture and sexism in sport.
Hermoso, 34, said on the opening day of the trial on February 3 she felt “disrespected” after a non-consensual kiss that “should not happen in any social or work setting”.
But Rubiales, 47, told the court on Tuesday he was “totally sure” Hermoso consented to the kiss as she went up to receive her winner’s medal, which was broadcast live around the world, and denied putting pressure on her after the incident.
He conceded he “made a mistake” on the podium, saying he should have “been in a more institutional role”, but denied any offence had been committed.
Rubiales’ stance on the stand contrasted with the defiance he displayed when the scandal broke.
During an emergency federation meeting in August 2023, he minimised the importance of the kiss and defied calls for his resignation, railing against “false feminism”.
Rubiales resigned in September that year after FIFA suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation into alleged sexual assault. He had been federation chief since 2018.
Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the Spain women’s team who now plays for Mexican club Tigres, was not called up to the national squad immediately after the World Cup.
But new coach Montse Tome said she wanted to protect the player and denied omitting her from the squad was a “punishment”.
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