The former Spanish soccer president Luis Rubiales is going to trial for kissing a female player after his country won the Women’s World Cup. Prosecutors have claimed that this was sexual assault.
Rubiales was seen kissing Jenni Hermoso, the star player. This caused outrage amongst her teammates. Hermoso filed a criminal charge against Rubiales.
Yahoo reported that state prosecutors were seeking a fine of up to one year or incarceration, under a new law that eliminates the distinction between sexual harassment and assault. Rubiales faces charges of sexual assault and an attempt to force the victim to publicly support him.
According to reports, the judge described evidence that Rubiales allegedly pressured Hermoso into appearing in a video afterward. However, she refused. According to reports, other Spanish soccer officials also applied pressure on the player.
The Sun reported that Rubiales denied any criminal wrongdoing and claimed he had been the victim of a “false feminist” campaign.
Hermoso, however, had downplayed this incident the day after the Women’s World Cup when she called it “mutual”. She also said that she and Rubiales had maintained a good relationship.
“It was a mutual, totally spontaneous gesture because of the huge joy of winning a World Cup,” she said, according to Fox News. “The ‘presi’ and I have a great relationship. His behavior with us has been a ’10.’ It was a natural gesture, of affection and gratitude. … We’ve won a World Cup, and we won’t get away from what’s important.”
Rubiales is reported to have said, “There are idiots all around.” “When two people show affection for each other, it’s not important. We can’t focus on idiocy. We are [world] champions, and I will focus on that.
Spain’s ex-soccer president to stand trial for sexual assault after kissing female player at World Cup celebration https://t.co/Y1spo0VqRC
— BlazeTV (@BlazeTV) January 26, 2024
The soccer president received more complaints after he was retroactively criticized over a crotch grab he had made on camera earlier during the Women’s World Cup. According to the Daily Mail, there was also a backlash over the executive’s carrying one of the female soccer players around during the championship celebration.
After the celebration, the women’s team refused to play until the president quit.
The team released a statement that said, “No woman should be compelled to react to the violent images seen by the world and they should also not engage in non-consensual behavior.”
Rubiales initially refused to resign but, after a FIFA 90-day suspension, he decided to resign.
Rubiales wrote in a letter, “I can’t go back to my previous position after the FIFA suspension, plus all of the other proceedings open against me.”
Rubiales’ appeal for a three-year FIFA suspension has been rejected. The appeals committee said they were “comfortably convinced” that Rubiales acted in a way contrary to the organization’s principles.
A Spanish High Court declared that the kiss was “unconsented, unilateral and performed unexpectedly”
