Luis Rubiales’ World Cup kiss not consensual, queer football star Jenni Hermoso tells trial
Spanish football star Jenni Hermos has insisted that the World Cup kiss from Luis Rubiales wasn’t consensual. (Alberto Ortega/Europa Press via Getty Images/ Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Queer football star Jenni Hermoso has maintained that a kiss from Spain’s former football chief Luis Rubiales after Spain’s World Cup victory wasn’t consensual.
Former president of Spain’s football federation, Rubiales controversially kissed her on the lips following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England’s Lionesses in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. He later announced his resignation after Hermoso made an official complaint.
On Monday (3 February), the trial began. If found guilty of kissing Hermoso without consent, Rubiales could be sentenced to four years in prison. He denies all charges.
At Madrid’s High Court, Hermoso was asked if the kiss was consensual, to which she replied, “Never”.
“I didn’t hear or understand anything,” she added. “The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth,” she said.
Prosecutors are calling for Rubiales to receive a one-year prison sentence for sexual assault and a year-and-a-half sentence for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to say that the kiss was consensual.
Hermoso has also asked the court to grant her an injunction to prevent Rubiales from being near her.
Spain women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda, former sports director of Spain’s men’s team Albert Luque, and the federation’s former head of marketing, Rubén Rivera, will also stand trial for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to defend Rubiales following the incident. All three deny the charges.
After resigning from his role, Rubiales told Piers Morgan in an interview that friends advised him to focus on his “dignity and to continue your life, because if not, you are probably going to damage people you love and the sport you love”.
He argued has argued that he was the victim of a witch-hunt and that the kiss was the “same I could give one of my daughters”.
The trial runs until 19 February.
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