Prosecutors in Spain are seeking a two-and-a-half year jail sentence for Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spain’s football federation. The charges stem from an incident where he kissed female footballer Jenni Hermoso without her consent following Spain’s World Cup victory. Hermoso and her teammates expressed that the kiss was unwanted and demeaning.
Rubiales, who has denied any wrongdoing, faces charges of sexual assault and coercion for the non-consensual kiss. Prosecutor Marta Durantez has accused Rubiales of one count of sexual assault and one count of coercion, each carrying jail terms of one year and one-and-a-half years, respectively. Durantez has also accused former coach Jorge Vilda, current sporting director Albert Luque, and head of marketing Ruben Rivera of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
All four men denied any wrongdoing when they appeared in court. If convicted, they could each face up to 18 months in jail. Durantez is also seeking €100,000 in damages to be paid to Hermoso by the four men, with Rubiales responsible for at least half of this amount. Additionally, she has requested a restraining order for Rubiales, preventing him from coming within 200m of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven-and-a-half years.
The controversy surrounding this incident overshadowed a historic moment for Spain’s women’s team, which had just won its first World Cup title. The incident sparked calls for changes to be made within women’s football in Spain as it highlighted the prevalence of sexism in the sport.
