Trial begins for former Spanish football chief accused of forced kiss at World Cup and coercion

THE TRIAL OF Spain’s former football chief Luis Rubiales, accused of giving a forced kiss to star forward Jenni Hermoso and subsequent coercion, has gotten underway.

The 47-year-old was seen from around the world during the post-match coverage cupping Hermoso’s head and giving her an unsolicited kiss after Spain beat England to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia.

Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales; one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.

The kiss was given “unexpectedly and without the consent or acceptance of the player”, prosecutors wrote in their indictment.

“Constant and repeated pressure was exerted directly on the player Jennifer Hermoso and through her family and friends with the aim of justifying and publicly approving the kiss that Luis Rubiales gave her against her will,” it added.

Rubiales is scheduled to take the stand on 12 February. He has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.

Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the national women’s team who now plays in Mexico, has said in a documentary that the federation demanded she appear in a video and downplay the kiss.

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Among the accused alongside Rubiales are ex-women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and two former federation officials, Ruben Rivera and Albert Luque.

They also stand accused of trying to coerce Hermoso, with prosecutors seeking 18 months’ jail against them.

The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked Rubiales’ career broke on 20 August 2023, moments after the women’s national team had clinched World Cup glory in Sydney.

As Hermoso joined her teammates in collecting their winner’s medals, Rubiales clasped her head and kissed her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back.

The act unleashed a public outcry at what critics deemed an abuse of power. A recent reform of the Spanish criminal code classifies a non-consensual kiss as sexual assault.

“Thank you again, Jenni, for your bravery. Thanks to you and your teammates we add another victory for feminism,” Equality Minister Ana Redondo wrote on X shortly before the trial started.

Rubiales, who was already under investigation for alleged corruption in his role as federation head, finally gave into pressure and stepped down in September 2023, two days after the start of a probe over the kiss. He had been federation chief since 2018.

In a recent Netflix documentary titled “Se acabo” (“It’s over”), which looks back at the players’ anger after the scandal overshadowed their historic success, Hermoso revealed she cried following the kiss.

© AFP 2025

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