‘Fighting for change’ – what next for Spain & Rubiales after trial?

Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault 550 days after a kiss that shook both Spanish and international football.

Spain’s High Court determined on Thursday that Jenni Hermoso, the former head of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), kissed her without permission during the medal ceremony after Spain won the Women’s World Cup in August 2023.

Rubiales, who has always maintained the kiss was consensual, was fined €10, 800 (£8, 942). Additionally, he was prohibited from communicating with Hermoso for a year and from traveling within a 200-meter radius.

For allegedly trying to persuade Hermoso to declare publicly that the kiss was consensual, Rubiales was cleared of coercion.

The result of years of unrest behind the scenes was Rubiales kissing one of the biggest women’s football players, and the outcome was disastrous.

Jorge Vilda, Spain’s coach at the World Cup, was only the second person to manage La Roja since 1988.

His immediate predecessor, Ignacio Quereda, held the position for almost 27 years before being fired when his entire squad demanded his ouster in response to the World Cup’s poor 2015 performance. While he was in charge, he reportedly had refused to play for the country.

In September 2022, less than a year before their World Cup win, Spain’s players led a ‘ revolt’.

The RFEF released a statement stating 15 players had submitted identical emails saying they would not play for Vilda unless “significant” concerns over their “emotional state” and “health” were addressed.

Las 15 players, as they were known, denied making any claims that they had requested Vilda’s resignation, but tension rose as a result of concerns about inadequate game preparation and training methods.

Only three of “Las 15” made the Spain squad for the World Cup matches in Australia and New Zealand.

Hermoso claimed that the incident “one of the happiest days of my life” in her earlier testimony this month.

Speaking shortly before the verdict was announced, England and Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze, who played in the 2023 World Cup final, praised the bravery of Hermoso and her Spain team-mates.

“I have good ties with a lot of the people involved in it,” I said. At a press conference in England, Bronze said, “It’s unbelievable that these players have had to go through that.”

They are in the court case and making their voices,” they added. It’s incredibly brave of all the individuals and the team collectively.

” They are fighting for change, not just in that court case but in their federation. Last season at Barcelona, I spent there, watching players go through the ordeal was difficult.

The phrase ‘ se acaba ‘ – ‘ it’s over ‘ – became the rallying call in Spain in the hours and days after the incident.

The Spanish government, Fifa, the United Nations and countless players and clubs condemned Rubiales ‘ behaviour.

While Rubiales was in charge, the majority of Vilda’s coaching staff resigned in protest of the president, while 81 Spain players, including all 23 World Cup winners, declared they would not play for the team again.

Rubiales initially claimed he was the victim of a “social assassination” and vowed not to resign. In the end, he abruptly left after almost three weeks.

Before Rubiales’ trial started on February 3rd, the kiss had become a landmark in Spanish history.

“The trial was broadcast on YouTube. The verdict is something that everyone is waiting for”, David Menayo Ramos, a journalist at Marca, told BBC Sport before the verdict was announced.

The trial reflects that society is divided, according to the statement.

According to BBC News’ Guy Hedgecoe, “this whole controversy went beyond football and beyond sport.”

Rubiales has stated that he will file an appeal based on the decision.

The court stated that the prosecution had requested a two-and-a-half year sentence for Rubiales, which included one year for the kiss and 18 months for coercion.

He won’t go to prison, but he has always argued that he did nothing wrong, according to Hedgecoe.

He claimed during the trial that he had gotten a little carried away during the medal ceremony and that acting in the way that was appropriate for an institutional figure was wrong, but he claimed there is a big difference between that and breaking the law.

Spain play Belgium in Valencia on Friday (kick-off 17: 45 GMT) in their Women’s Nations League opener. A pre-game press conference will be held on Thursday at 18:30 GMT and features head coach Montse Tome and captain Irene Paredes.