It is a trial that has gripped Spain. The nation’s former football chief Luis Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and coercion over a kiss in the wake of Spain winning the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Millions watched on television around the world as Rubiales cupped player Jenni Hermoso’s head and kissed her on the lips during the medal ceremony. The furore overshadowed Spain’s triumph and galvanised Spain’s version of a MeToo movement, called #SeAcabo – it’s over – where female players were fighting against sexism and inequalities with male players.
On Monday, Hermoso told a court that Rubiales forcibly kissed her on the lips. Rubiales denies any wrongdoing. Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, which was broadcast live on television in Spain, Hermoso said she never consented to being kissed by Rubiales.
“I felt it was totally out of place, and I then realised my boss was kissing me and this shouldn’t happen in any social or workplace setting. I felt disrespected,” she said.
“One of the happiest days of my life was tarnished and I think that’s very important for me to say that I never sought, much less expected, that this would happen. I think personally that it was a lack of respect.”
Hermoso gave evidence just a metre from where Rubiales was sitting in the dock. Unlike the ex-football boss, who talked to his lawyer throughout the hearing, Hermoso told the judge she was “listening all the time”.
Hermoso, who plays for Tigres in Mexico, said on the team bus back towards the airport she was shown a statement that had been drafted on her behalf by the football federation. It was issued in her name later that day.
The 34-year-old player said the statement made her feel “that I was participating in something I hadn’t done and in which I didn’t want to participate”.
“I will say it again, never did I want this to happen,” she added.
Hermoso said her life had changed forever when she arrived back in Madrid. She said she received death threats and had to leave the city because of the constant media attention.
“I’m a world champion but it seems that, even to this day, my life has been on standby. I honestly haven’t been able to live freely,” she said.
Hermoso has become an icon for feminists. Before Hermoso gave evidence, Spanish Equality Minister Ana Redondo posted on the social media site X: “Thanks to you Jenni and your teammates we add another victory for feminism.”
Alongside Rubiales, former women’s national coach Jorge Vilda, former Spanish football federation (RFEF) sporting director Albert Luque and the RFEF’s former head of marketing Rubén Rivera are also on trial for allegedly pressurising Hermoso. All three deny the charges.
Public prosecutors are seeking a jail term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales if he is convicted. In Spain, normally jail terms of up to two years are suspended if the defendant has no previous convictions.
Rubiales initially called his critics idiots before later apologising and saying the kiss was “without bad faith at a time of maximum effusiveness”. After resigning in September 2023, Rubiales was banned from all football-related activities for three years by world governing body Fifa.
Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of the men’s Spain football team, told the court on Tuesday that he knew nothing of a meeting by officials of the RFEF to try to silence the row over the kiss. The coach, who was appointed under Rubiales’ tenure at the RFEF, said he found out about the kiss on the plane from Australia to Spain but was “unaware of the scale” of the backlash.
On Wednesday, the brother of Hermoso and one of her teammates told the judge there were attempts to pressure the player into downplaying the kiss.
Rafael Hermoso said in court that former women’s national team coach Vilda asked him to tell Jenni to record a video together with the former president to show she was OK with the kiss. Rafael said his sister told him she was pressurised several times by members of the Spanish federation. “She came to us half-crying and told us that they were pressuring her to take a stance downplaying the kiss,” Rafael said.
“We were talking about soccer and the achievement of the team and suddenly he mentioned the kiss,” Rafael said. “He said that the president wanted me to talk to Jenni to ask her to record the video together downplaying the kiss, because that would be the best thing for everyone.”
Rafael added that Vilda told him that Rubiales’ daughters were crying and that the president was worried about losing his job because of what happened. He said Vilda told him that he had already talked to Jenni and that she had not agreed to do the video.
“I told him that I was not going to try to convince her to do something that I also don’t agree with,” Rafael said.
Rafael said he felt Vilda threatened his sister by hinting that things would not be good for her in the federation if she decided not to help. He also said Vilda implied that Jenni owed that to Rubiales’ daughters and the president himself.
Former teammate Misa Rodríguez said Jenni told the other players that she was being coerced and that she was “not well” after what happened.
Rodríguez said Jenni told them about the kiss and that she did not know how to react to it. She also said that Jenni told them she was being pressurised to record a video and downplay the kiss.
“She told us that she didn’t want to do it and we supported her decision,” Rodríguez said. “We told her that she should not talk to anybody anymore and should try to get some rest, because we noticed that she was not well.”
Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes and Laia Condia, who all play for the Spanish national team, will also appear as witnesses for the prosecution.
Rubiales is expected to give evidence from February 12 and has also called his daughters as witnesses in his defence.
Under a 2023 reform of Spain’s criminal law, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault and can carry penalties from a fine to four years in prison.
The saga took an unexpected turn when Mr Rubiales’ mother Angeles Bejar started a brief hunger strike in support of his son inside a Catholic church in the family’s hometown of Motril in southern Spain.
In a sign that this was a defining moment not just for Spanish sport but for women’s rights, the country’s World Cup women’s team players staged a temporary strike and refused to play until deep changes were made in the Spanish football federation.
The trial will run until 19 February.
