AFP – Spain star Jenni Hermoso yesterday told the trial of disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales that the forced kiss he gave her in 2023 “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting”.
Rubiales provoked worldwide outrage after he cupped Hermoso’s head and gave her an unsolicited kiss after Spain beat England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia.
Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.
Rubiales, 47, has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion. “This shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting… A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so,” Hermoso said on the opening day of the trial at the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid.
“As a woman I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” added Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the national women’s team.
“For me it is very important to say that at no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it.”
Rubiales is scheduled to take the stand on February 12 in the highly anticipated trial scheduled to run until February 19.
Among the accused alongside Rubiales are ex-women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and two former federation officials, Ruben Rivera and Albert Luque.
