Former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales will be jailed for grabbing star player Jennifer Hermoso’s head and forcibly kissing her on the mouth during the Women’s World Cup awards ceremony in August. Tried on sexual assault charges.
Spain’s national court made the decision on Wednesday night after a judge concluded in January that Rubiales was responsible for the kiss, which he said was “non-consensual” and was The scope of “intimate sexual relations”.
Prosecutors and Ms. Hermoso’s lawyers are seeking a total of two and a half years in prison for Mr. Rubiales: one year on the sexual assault charge and another 18 months on the coercion charge. Rubiales is accused of pressuring Ms Hermoso to show support after the kiss.
Three other former football officials, including former women’s team coach Jorge Vilda, have also been accused of coercion. They could each face 18 months in prison.
The confirmation that Rubiales will face sexual assault charges is the latest development in a high-profile case that has roiled Spanish football and sparked public reflection on sexism and power imbalances.
Rubiales initially resisted calls to step down as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and vice-president of European football’s governing body UEFA, but resigned after a court restrained him. Football’s governing body FIFA banned him from the sport for three years.
Mr Rubiales was briefly arrested in April as part of a wider investigation into corruption and money laundering linked to bringing the Spanish Super Cup tournament to Saudi Arabia. He is also under investigation for allegedly hiring detectives to spy on the president of the Spanish players’ union; misusing federal funds to pay for personal expenses; and hosting a federally funded sex party in Granada in 2020 – all charges filed with prosecutors It emerged after a formal complaint was made.
Mr. Rubiales has denied any wrongdoing.
The court set bail for him at 65,000 euros (about $70,000) on the sexual assault charge, with another 65,000 euros to be paid with other former officials also accused of coercion.
