Former Spanish soccer federation chief Rubiales will stand trial on charges of sexual assault and coercion for his unsolicited kiss of Jenni Hermoso after last year’s Women’s World Cup final, a judge confirmed this week.
Back in January, Judge Francisco de Jorge recommended that Rubiales be held accountable for his 2023 actions, calling the kiss “unconsented and carried out unilaterally and in a surprising fashion” and within the bounds of “intimacy of sexual relations.” On Wednesday, Spain’s National Court ruled that Rubiales should indeed stand trial.
Rubiales has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saying the kiss was consensual. Hermoso, meanwhile, defined the incident, which occurred during the WWC medal ceremony, as “unexpected and at no time consensual.”
Public prosecutors and lawyers for the Spanish Women’s National Football Team star and Women’s World Cup champion are seeking two and a half years of prison time for Rubiales: one year for sexual assault, and an additional 18 months for participating in coercion.
Rubiales is alleged to have pressured Hermoso into showing support for him following the kiss. Three other officials…
