Luis Rubiales should stand trial over World Cup kiss, judge says

A Spanish judge proposed the former football boss should stand trial for kissing player Jenni Hermoso, who said she felt "vulnerable and a victim of an aggression".

Former president of Spain's soccer federation Luis Rubiales could face a trial over kissing player Jenni Hermoso. Source: AP / Manu Fernandez

Key Points

• Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
• She said the kiss was not consensual and later filed a criminal complaint of sexual assault and coercion.
• A Spanish High Court judge has proposed Rubiales - along with other Spanish football officials - should stand trial.

This article contains references to sexual assault.

A Spanish High Court judge has proposed former football federation chief Luis Rubiales stand trial over the kiss he planted on player Jenni Hermoso's lips after Spain's victory in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The court said in a statement that the judge, Francisco de Jorge, also sought a trial for former women's team coach Jorge Vilda, as well as Albert Luque, the men's team's sport director, and Ruben Rivera, the federation's marketing chief, for pressuring Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual.

The court quoted the judge as saying that, contrary to Rubiales' statements, the investigation showed the kiss "was not consensual and was a unilateral and surprising initiative".

Jenni Hermoso is kissed by Luis Rubiales during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Final football match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney. (Photo by Noe Llamas / SPP/Sipa USA) Source: SIPA USA / Sports Press Photo

Prosecutors and lawyers can still present their arguments, after which the court will decide whether and when to call the trial.

Up until now, the case has been handled by an investigative judge.

Hermoso - Spain's all-time top scorer - lodged a criminal complaint of sexual assault and coercion in September over the kiss, saying she felt "vulnerable and a victim of an aggression".

The case shocked the sporting world and society in Spain and abroad, prompting protests and further accusations by women that prominent or powerful men had forced intimacy on them.

In Spain, the social media hashtag #SeAcabo ("It's over") became a rallying cry.

As well as the kiss itself, the judge found evidence Rubiales and the co-defendants may have committed a related offence in their coordinated action to make Hermoso "record a video in which she would say the kiss was consensual."

Hermoso refused and eventually filed a criminal complaint.

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