Spain’s Ex-Football President Was Found Guilty Of Sexual Assault For Forcibly Kissing A Woman Player

A Spanish court has found former Spanish football president, Luis Rubiales, guilty of sexual assault for forcibly kissing a woman player after Spain’s Women’s World Cup win in August 2023.

Rubiales caused a public uproar when he kissed Spanish woman player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips without her consent at the medal ceremony after the team’s World Cup win on Aug. 20, 2023.

In a video, Rubiales can be seen hugging soccer player, Jennifer Hermoso, before grabbing her head and kissing her on the lips.

Hermoso said the kiss was without her consent and filed a legal complaint against Rubiales on Sep. 5, 2023, saying she felt “disrespected”.

Women in Spain then took to the streets in support of Hermoso, calling for Rubiales’ resignation.

He initially refused to resign as Spain’s football president, saying the kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consented”. 

Rubiales finally resigned a few days after Spanish prosecutors opened a sexual assault case against him on Sep. 10, 2023, after Hermoso filed a formal complaint.

During the trial, Hermoso said the non consensual kiss from Rubiales "tainted one of the happiest days of my life”.

However, Rubiales told the court he was “absolutely sure” it was, according to Al Jazeera.

On Thursday, Feb. 20, a Spanish court found Rubiales guilty of sexual assault. 

The court didn’t sentence Rubiales to prison but it fined him €10,000 (about US$10,434).

The judge ruled that due to the “sporadic” nature of the kiss, Rubiales did not need rehabilitation or imprisonment for the crime, but a monetary penalty would suffice, according to Reuters. 

He was also given a restraining order against Hermoso, banned from contacting her for one year and required to pay her €3,000 (about US$3133).

However, the court said Rubiales and three other of his former colleagues were not guilty of coercion for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to publicly say the kiss was consensual.

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