Former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales has been guilty as charged for kissing Women’s World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso on the lips when Spain won over England in the FIFA Women’s World Cup without her consent.
Rabiales resigned in September 2023 in the wake of the scandal, and Spain’s High Court ruled in Hermoso’s favor for the former La Liga defender’s unjustifiable actions.
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The court’s sentencing
While prosecutors demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales’ wrongdoings, the judge eventually ordered him to pay a fine of over €10,000 (about $10,500), and he was acquitted of coercion.
As reported by FIFA, since 2023, Rubiales has been banned from all soccer activities for three years in the wake of the unwanted kiss.
What happened on that day
The 47-year-old was congratulating all the Spanish players for winning that match when suddenly, he kissed the 34-year-old national team top scorer without her consent.
Hermoso clarified during the trial that the nonconsensual kiss “tainted one of the happiest days” of her life.
It went back and forth
Rubiales was accused of sexual assault and coercing the carrier of the most Pichichi trophies in women’s soccer history into admitting that the kiss in question was consensual.
Rubiales kept denying these charges, claiming that the kiss was consensual and happened in a “moment of jubilation,” while Hermoso begged to differ.
The incident emphasized a serious issue
The incident was a monumental moment that female players took to put emphasis on the sexism they face in the sport and to seek equality with the male teams.
With Hermoso feeling “disrespected,” it sparked protests in the nation, and they demanded “a sport free of sexist violence.”
Hermoso’s statement during trial
Hermoso elaborated on how she felt “disrespected” because of the incident during the trial, saying: “I didn’t hear or understand anything. The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth.”
It ruined a special moment for her
“I knew I was being kissed by my boss and that should not happen in any social or work environment. I think it was a moment that tainted one of the happiest days of my life. All this meant I couldn’t enjoy at all being a world champion after I landed back in Madrid,” she added.
