Jenni Hermoso’s attorney said her lawyer will file an appeal against the ruling in the case involving former Spain football team boss Luis Rubiales, who was found guilty of forcing her to kiss the woman’s world-winning player.
“It is her intention” to appeal, lawyer Angel Chavarria said on Friday.
In a case that shocked Spain, the prosecution sought a two-and-a-half year sentence for Rubiales for sexual assault and 18 months for coercion because they allegedly put pressure on the player to downplay the incident afterward.
A judge at Spain’s High Court on Thursday found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault over the kiss and fined him 10, 800 euros ($11, 300), but spared him a prison sentence.
Additionally, he was prohibited from communicating with Hermoso for a year and from traveling within a radius of 200 meters (656 feet).
For allegedly trying to persuade Hermoso to make a public declaration that the kiss was consensual, Rubiales was cleared of coercion.
Rubiales, 47, said after the verdict that he will appeal.
In his ruling, the judge argued that Rubiales had violated Hermoso’s “sexual freedom” without her permission and that kissing a woman on the mouth “is not the normal way of greeting people with whom one has no sentimental relationship.”
At the 2023 Women’s World Cup medal ceremony in Sydney, former Spanish federation chief Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back during the scandal that rocked Spanish football.
Hermoso gave evidence to the court that he was “totally certain” that the kiss would occur as she rose to receive her winner’s medal, which was broadcast live around the world, and that no pressure would be placed on her following the incident.
Rubiales was forced to resign in disgrace as a result of the outcry, which also raised awareness of the prevalence of sexism and macho culture in sport.
Spanish Justice Minister Felix Bolanos hailed Hermoso’s “courage” after the verdict.
“We must all be grateful to Jenni, because she took an initiative, in a very difficult moment, to defend the rights and freedom of women and to emphasise that this society, our Spanish society, no longer allows any type of abuse, no longer admits any type of sexual assault”, he said.
“One thing is clear: a non-consensual kiss is sexual assault, period”, he added.
Rubiales’ appeal against his suspension from football was dismissed on Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport claiming that his actions “constituted numerous and serious violations of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”
The highest court in global sport added, “it saw no reason to consider the sanction to be disproportionate”.
In response to the kiss on Hermoso, FIFA, the world’s governing body, had banned Rubiales from all football-related activities for three years in October 2023.
Source: Aljazeera
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