The Spanish High Court has ruled that former football federation boss Luis Rubiales, who kissed Jenni Hermoso without her consent, has been found guilty of sexual assault and fined €10,800 (£8,942) by the country’s High Court.
He was found not guilty of coercing Hermoso because he allegedly attempted to persuade her to declare in public that the kiss was consensual.
After winning the 2023 World Cup against England in Sydney, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips.
Additionally, the court said in a statement that the ruling forbade Rubiales from visiting Hermoso within a 200-meter radius and from communicating with her for a year.
Three of Rubiales’s former colleagues who were also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion – Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) ‘s former head of marketing, and Albert Luque, former sporting director – were cleared of those charges.
Rubiales, who told a judge last week that he was “absolutely certain” Hermoso had given her consent before kissing her, was set to receive a prison sentence, had been requested by the prosecution.
He described the kiss as an “act of affection”, adding that in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous”.
In her testimony earlier this month, Hermoso insisted that she had not given Rubiales permission and that the incident had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”.
She told the court in Madrid: “My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting”.
She said at the time, “A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide to do so.”
Rubiales was charged with sexual assault and attempted coercion of Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
Millions of television viewers and the entire stadium witnessed the incident after the 2023 World Cup victory for the Spanish women’s team.
In the Spanish women’s game, players fought sexism and achieved parity with their male peers as a result of the uproar that followed.
Source: BBC
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