The former Spanish soccer federation chief, Luis Rubiales, is facing trial for kissing national soccer player Jennifer Hermoso without her consent after Spain’s World Cup victory last year. The charges against Rubiales include one count of sexual assault and one of coercion, with prosecutors seeking a total of two years and six months in prison for the offenses.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, Rubiales has previously apologized for the kiss and claimed that he had received consent from Hermoso. However, the player has stated that she did not consent to the kiss and felt disrespected by Rubiales. She also spoke about receiving threats as a consequence of the incident.
The High Court in Madrid has accepted the case for trial and will also involve other individuals, including the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the team’s current sporting director, Albert Luque, and the federation’s head of marketing, Ruben Rivera. They are accused of coercing Hermoso into saying that the kiss was consensual.
The court has set a bail of 65,000 euros for Rubiales’ sexual assault charge and a separate joint bail of 65,000 euros for Rubiales, Vilda, Luque, and Rivera for the coercion charges. The trial will address allegations of sexual assault and coercion against Rubiales in relation to his unsolicited kiss on Jennifer Hermoso.
