Spanish football chief Rubiales found guilty over Hermoso kiss
Shamed former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales has been fined almost £9,000 after being found guilty of the sexual assault of player Jenni Hermoso.
Rubiales is also banned from going within 200m of Hermoso or communicating with her for a year but was found not guilty of the additional crime of coercion.
The case related to the infamous kiss Rubiales planted on Hermoso’s lips after Spain won the Women’s World Cup in August 2023.
Spain’s all-time record goalscorer later complained that the kiss was not consensual and alleged that Rubiales and others at the RFEF – Spain’s FA – tried to persuade her to say that it was.
Rubiales was prosecuted on both counts and faced up to two and a half years in jail. The 47-year-old was found guilty of the first charge but acquitted of coercion.
He has been ordered to pay €10,800 (£8,939) and slapped with a restraining order that prevents him from going near or attempting to contact Hermoso.
The episode led to Rubiales eventually resigning as RFEF president, but only after initially refusing to step down and seeing his mother go on hunger strike.
Rubiales ‘made a mistake’
Giving evidence earlier in the trial in Madrid, Hermoso said she had felt “disrespected” by the kiss, which took place on the pitch and was beamed worldwide on TV.
“I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or workplace setting,” she said.
“One of the happiest days of my life was tarnished and I think it’s very important for me to say that I never sought, much less expected, that this would happen.”
Rubiales told the court that he was sure Hermoso had given him permission for the kiss.
“It’s obvious now that I made a mistake,” he said. “It was spontaneous. I behaved like a sportsperson, like I was one more member of the team. I should have been more cold-blooded and adopted a more institutional role.”
Former footballer Rubiales was also criticised for grabbing his crotch when sitting in the stands alongside members of the Spanish royal family.