Livescore
On Monday, Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso testified against Luis Rubiales in Madrid, speaking about the kiss at the 2023 Women’s World Cup that sparked international outcry. Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), is on trial for sexual assault and for trying to pressure Hermoso into saying that the kiss was consensual.
“I felt disrespected,” Hermoso said in her testimony Monday. “I think it was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life.”
Spain took home its first Women’s World Cup in 2023, but celebrations were marred when Rubiales forcibly kissed Hermoso on stage during the trophy ceremony. The behavior sparked outrage in Spain, raised questions of sexism throughout the country, and led the Spanish women’s national team to boycott international play.
Rubiales, facing intense pressure in the wake of the kiss, resigned as president of the RFEF three weeks after the incident. He has repeatedly denied the charges, saying at one point that he was the victim of a witch hunt led by “false feminists.”
Hermoso, 34, has consistently said that the kiss was not consensual. She spoke more about the incident Monday, saying that she “couldn’t react” as Rubiales kissed her.
“I didn’t hear or understand anything,” Hermoso said. “The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth.
Hermoso testified Monday that Rubiales spoke to her on the plane from Sydney, Australia, where the final had taken place, back to Spain. There, he asked her to help him smooth things over publicly, saying that people were calling him “an aggressor,” but she refused.
Hermoso said that it was “important” for her to continue celebrating the World Cup win with her teammates even after the incident. But since returning to Spain, she said that her life has been on standby due to the media circus around the incident. Hermoso plays for Tigres in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, where she can avoid much of the attention, but that goes away when she returns to Madrid.
“I have not been able to really live freely,” she said in court Monday.
Under Spanish law, Rubiales, if found guilty, could face a fine or a one- to four-year prison sentence. Prosecutors representing Hermoso want Rubiales to receive a prison sentence of two-and-a-half years, plus 50,000 euros ($51,4000) in damages and for him to be banned from working as a sports official. FIFA already banned Rubiales from soccer for three years, but that is set to lapse in 2026. Hermoso, who already has a restraining order against Rubiales, has also asked for the court to force him to stay away from her.
In addition to Rubiales, three other men from the federation are also on trial: former women’s national team head coach Jorge Vilda, former men’s national team sports director Albert Luque and RFEF’s former head of marketing Rubén Rivera. The three are accused of trying to coerce Hermoso into publicly supporting Rubiales after the incident began to spark outrage.
The trial is set to last at least 10 days, with some of Hermoso’s teammates and other Spanish federation officials set to testify as witnesses.
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