Rubiales, who was acquitted of coercion, was given a fine of 10, 000 euros ($10, 455) on Thursday by the Audiencia Nacional court. He was told to stay away from Hermoso for a year and not communicate with her within a 200-meter (660-foot) radius.
Spain’s victory in the 2023 Women’s World Cup was overshadowed by the incident, which also sparked a debate about the sexism experienced by female athletes. The 47-year-old Rubiales resigned in September 2023 amid widespread outrage.
Rubiales has argued that the kiss was consensual despite Hermoso’s assertion that it wasn’t and that the court was “disrespected” by the incident. He testified to the judge on Tuesday that he was still “absolutely certain” that the kiss was mutual.
According to the prosecution, Rubiales and several prominent Spanish football officials attempted to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual and downplay the incident, and the sentence was requested for one year in jail and 18 months in jail.
Rubiales and the three co-defendants were found not guilty of coercion and given a reduced sentence.
Judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto said that he believed Hermono’s testimony that she had not consented to the kiss. He ruled that the sexual assault, “while always reproachable” was of minor intensity as there was no violence or intimidation.
“The Judge understands that, in view of the magnitude of the assault, a kiss, that it is a sporadic act of the accused, and that he does not require special rehabilitation for the crime, the pecuniary penalty must be chosen, which is less serious than the custodial sentence”, the verdict said.
The 34-year-old Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the Spanish women’s team, told the court earlier this month that the unsolicited kiss and the commotion that followed had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”, while her teammates testified that the incident left her exhausted, crying and overwhelmed.
“As a woman, I felt disrespected”, Hermoso said at the trial.
Source: Aljazeera
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