Luis Rubiales Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Spanish Footballer Jenni Hermoso

Image credits: Juan Medina/Reuters

The former president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting the footballer Jenni Hermoso by kissing her on the lips against her will after Spain’s women’s team won the 2023 World Cup. A judge at Spain’s national court convicted Rubiales of sexual assault but acquitted him of attempting to coerce Hermoso into playing down the unsolicited and unwanted kiss. The former football chief, who had been facing a possible two-and-a-half year jail sentence, was ordered to pay fines and compensation totalling more than €13,000 (£10,800), forbidden to go within 200 metres of Hermoso for a year, and told to refrain from contacting her for 12 months.

The episode, which overshadowed the team’s triumph at the World Cup final in Sydney and prompted a national and international debate on sexism and consent, resulted in Hermoso receiving death threats and eventually led Rubiales to resign as the head of the federation. Rubiales, 47, has always insisted the kiss on Hermoso’s lips after the final in Sydney was consensual, describing it as an "act of affection" and "something completely spontaneous". However, the judge disagreed, ruling that Rubiales had assaulted Hermoso when he "grabbed the player’s head with both hands and, then, in a sudden manner and without her consent and acceptance, kissed her on the lips".

The incident triggered protests and calls for the resignation of Rubiales, who has said he will appeal against the verdict. Three of Rubiales's former colleagues who were also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion, were cleared of those charges. The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200m radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year, the court said in a statement. Hermoso insisted that she had not given Rubiales permission and that the incident had "stained one of the happiest days of my life", telling the court that "a kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so".

The verdict was welcomed by Spain’s equality minister, Ana Redondo, who said it had sent out a clear message that a non-consensual kiss is a sexual assault. The Podemos MEP and former equality minister Irene Montero said feminism was changing things, adding that it’s not so long ago that it would have been unthinkable for the judicial system to recognise a non-consensual kiss as sexual assault. The incident has seriously affected Hermoso’s life since, with the player saying that she has not lived freely and that her life has been on standby. The case has sparked a debate around a culture of misogyny in sport, as well as in wider Spanish society, and has given momentum to a "Me Too"-style movement in the Spanish women’s game.

Here are the key points from the case: * Luis Rubiales found guilty of sexually assaulting Jenni Hermoso * Rubiales fined €10,800 and banned from contacting Hermoso for 12 months * Three former colleagues cleared of coercion charges * Hermoso received death threats after the incident * Rubiales resigned as head of the Spanish Football Federation after the incident * The case has sparked a debate around sexism and consent in sport and Spanish society * The verdict has been welcomed by Spain’s equality minister and feminist groups, who say it sends a clear message that non-consensual kisses are a form of sexual assault.