After sullying his nation’s Women’s World Cup victory, former Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales will face trial for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
After sullying his nation’s Women’s World Cup victory, former Spanish soccer chief Luis Rubiales will face trial for kissing forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the final. Judge Francisco de Jorge ruled on Thursday that Rubiales’ kiss was « unconsented and carried out unilaterally and in a surprising fashion. » State prosecutors accused Rubiales of sexual assault and of allegedly trying to coerce Hermoso to publicly support him in the public backlash against him, per the AP. Despite initially claiming he was the victim of a campaign led by « false feminists, » Rubiales eventually resigned from his post for his behavior in August during the World Cup final awards ceremony in Sydney. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The judge also ruled that, along with Rubiales, former Spain coach Jorge Vilda; Albert Luque, the sports director for the Spanish men’s team; and Ruben Rivera, the federation’s former head of marketing, should be tried for allegedly pressuring Hermoso to defend Rubiales, a step she refused to take.
