Former Spanish football federation boss Luis Rubiales told a court on Tuesday that he asked player Jenni Hermoso if he could kiss her before doing so after the World Cup victory in 2023.
Rubiales and the other three defendants are accused of trying to downplay the kiss on player Hermoso at the 2023 Women’s World Cup final presentation ceremony, with the former president testifying before a judge on Tuesday.
Rubiales is also accused of sexual assault while the other defendants — former women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda, the federation’s former sports director of the men’s national team, Albert Luque, and the former head of marketing, Rubén Rivera — are accused of coercion for allegedly trying to convince the player to support Rubiales’ version of the kiss.
“I am absolutely sure that she gave me her permission,” Rubiales told the court in Madrid where he is standing trial. “In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”
Hermoso says she did not consent to the kiss while Rubiales denies wrongdoing and says it was consensual.
Rubiales resigned under pressure three weeks after the scandal surfaced and was banned by FIFA for three years. He had said he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”
Hermoso testified on the first day of the trial last week and said she “felt disrespected” by Rubiales after winning the World Cup. She said that the kiss “stained one of the happiest days of my life.”
The kiss prompted outrage in Spain about the prevalence of sexism in sports and beyond.
Prosecutors, Hermoso and the Spain players’ association want Rubiales jailed for two and a half years, fined €50,000 ($51,800) for damages, and banned from working as a sports official. They want the other three defendants sentenced to one and a half years in prison.
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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