A judge in Spain’s National Court has made recommendation on Thursday that former Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales, face charges of sexual assault for his alleged non-consensual kiss of Spain forward Jennifer Hermoso during the FIFA Women’s World Cup medal ceremony in Sydney, Australia, last year.
Rubiales is charged with the offence, which carries a possible punishment of more than four years in prison, in relation to the non-consensual kiss.
The judge also suggested that Mr Rubiales and three representatives of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the nation’s football governing body, be put on trial for charges of coercion for pressuring player Jennifer Hermoso to back Mr Rubiales immediately after the kiss. Among them was Jorge Vilda, who was sacked as the coach of the women’s team following the incident.
The kiss by Mr. Rubiales “was non-consensual and was a unilateral and surprise act,” the judge cloncide.
Since the allegations were first filed, the state prosecution has been collecting evidence and witness statements over the last five months. The magistrate decided that the kiss was not consensual and that the pressure placed on her resulted in a state of “anxiousness and intense stress.”
Current Spain Sporting Director Albert Luque, former Spain and current Morocco manager Jorge Vilda, and former Director of Marketing Ruben Rivera will all stand trial for their part in coercing Hermoso and her teammates into exculpating Rubiales publicly.
Hermoso maintains publicly that the kiss was not consented, while Rubiales says that she did tell him he could kiss her.
At first, Mr. Rubiales rejected requests for his resignation. However, he resigned as vice president of UEFA, the organisation that oversees European football, and head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation when a court imposed a restraining order against him less than a month after the World Cup final.
The world football governing body, FIFA initially suspended him for 90 days over the incident, and barred him from the sport for three years in October, 2023.
