Former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales’ lawyer announced on Wednesday that his lawyer, who is a disgraced former player, will file an appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the confirmation of his $12,600 (10,800) fine for forcing kissing Jenni Hermoso.
After a eagerly awaited trial that seized the nation, Spain’s most notorious criminal court in February found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for the kiss at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which sparked outcry from the rest of the world.
Additionally, Hermoso was cleared of a separate coercition charge by the Audiencia Nacional after it was alleged that she later was forced to downplay the incident.
Both sides criticized the sentence, which was less than the two-and-a-half-year prison term requested by the prosecution and infuriated feminist organizations, who criticized it as too lenient.
Rubiales refuted any coercion and claimed that the kiss was a consensual “peck” between friends who were celebrating at a medal ceremony after Hermoso had just helped Spain win the Sydney Olympics final.
The court continued to accept the verdict and fine in a statement released on Wednesday, stating that it had rejected the defense team’s and prosecutors’ appeals.
Hermoso “expressed her dissatisfaction with what happened, as she herself confirmed in the trial, as well as her teammates,” the court wrote in a statement.
In those circumstances, it is impossible to say whether a kiss was frequent, common, or typical.
The court also confirmed that Albert Luque and Ruben Rivera, two former senior federation officials, Jorge Vilda, and Rubiales, a former member of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, were all found not guilty of the coercion charge.
Olga Tubau, Rubiales’ attorney, announced to the AFP news agency that he would file an appeal of the Supreme Court’s decision.
The prosecutors’ separate request to retry the trial, notably because of doubts about the judge’s impartiality, was denied.
Additionally, it was forbidden for Rubiales to travel to Hermoso’s 200-meter (656-foot) radius and to communicate with her for a year.
Rubiales was forced to relinquish his post after the kiss, receiving a three-year ban from all football-related activities, and inducing a protracted upheaval in the federation.
Hermoso became a symbol of the fight against sexism and macho culture in sport after becoming the all-time top scorer for the national women’s team.
Rubiales is also the subject of a probe into alleged financial mismanagement involving a business that is owned by Barcelona legend Gerard Pique and whose relocation to Saudi Arabia cost millions of euros.
Source: Aljazeera
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