When the president of the Spanish Football Federation kissed one of his national team’s players after they had won the 2023 Women’s World Cup, it was a moment that stunned the wider world.
For the Spain forward Jenni Hermoso and her team-mates, that win should have been the highlight of their sporting lives. Spain had never won the Women’s World Cup before. Instead, their achievements were overshadowed by the behaviour of Luis Rubiales and those around him.
In the three weeks that followed, Hermoso was threatened with legal action by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rubiales resigned (eventually), the team’s head coach Jorge Vilda was sacked and 81 Spanish players said they would refuse to represent their country.
Starting on Monday, and across 13 days in court, Rubiales will stand trial for alleged sexual assault and coercion of Hermoso. He maintains that the kiss was consensual, while the prosecutors will argue the opposite and that attempts were made after the incident to force Hermoso into agreeing with him.
Also on trial are Vilda, the team’s World Cup-winning head coach, Albert Luque, the former sporting director of the Spain men’s team and a former Newcastle United forward, and Ruben Rivera, the former marketing director of the RFEF.
