Former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales will have to be tried for the forced kiss he gave to player Jenni Hermoso, a court decided this Monday (22), after rejecting an appeal by the former director of the Spanish football.
The National Audience, which in January proposed trying Rubiales and to which he appealed, considered “that the facts described in the case file” show “evidence that fits the typical description of a crime against sexual freedom and another of coercion”, said a statement of the jurisdiction of Madrid.
The court, however, has not yet set the date on which he will be tried.
On August 20, Rubiales kissed Spain’s number 10, Jenni Hermoso, on the mouth, in front of cameras around the world, minutes after the Spanish team’s victory in Sydney, during the women’s World Cup final.
His gesture provoked a wave of outrage in Spain and abroad, forcing Rubiales to resign the following month.
The Prosecutor’s Office announced in March that it had requested 2.5 years in prison for the crime of sexual assault, for the kiss itself, and for coercion, for having pressured the athlete to “justify and approve the kiss she received against her will.”
The court also requested two years of supervised release after serving the prison sentence, a ban on communicating or approaching Hermoso for 4 years, in addition to compensation of 50,000 euros (almost 300 thousand reais) to the player.
Since the recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that groups all types of sexual violence.
The appeals of former women’s coach Jorge Vilda and two former Federation officials were also rejected and will be judged equally, accused of coercion against Hermoso.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
