Luis Rubiales has told a court that Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso gave her consent before he kissed her at the Women’s World Cup final in Australia in 2023.
The former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is on trial accused of sexual assault and attempting to coerce Hermoso into publicly saying the kiss had been consensual.
Giving evidence, Rubiales, 47, said he was “absolutely sure” the player gave permission for the kiss, adding: “In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”
The incident occurred during the medal-giving ceremony after Spain’s World Cup win in Australia, triggering protests and calls for Rubiales’s resignation. He denies any criminal wrongdoing.
Rubiales described the kiss as “an act of affection” to Spain’s National Court in Madrid on Tuesday.
“Jenni embraced me,” he said.
“I’ve known her for many years and I kissed her because she was a champion. This was a tremendous moment for her. We were champions, we were thanking each other.
“She pressed me very hard by the waist and then I asked her whether I could give her a kiss and she said yes.”
He added: “I took hold of her so as not to fall back.”
Rubiales was questioned in court over whether he asked Hermoso for a kiss or a “little kiss”.
“I can’t remember exactly,” he replied. “But I think it was a little kiss.”
He was also asked if he was aware of the protocol against sexual harassment and sexual violence, to which he replied he was aware of it.
Hermoso has previously told the court she had never given permission to be kissed and the incident had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”.
The Spain forward said: “My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting.”
She added: “A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so.”
Hermoso said she was pulled aside soon after the kiss and asked to consent to a statement minimising the incident, which she refused to do.
Rubiales then asked her to record a video with him on the flight home because he was being accused of assault on social media, she told the court. She said she had received death threats which prompted her to move her family to Mexico, where she now plays.
An expert in lip reading told the court on Tuesday that Rubiales asked Ms Hermoso “can I give you a kiss?” based on video footage where the player’s face could not be seen.
Rubiales conceded he “made a mistake” on the podium and that his behaviour “was not appropriate”, saying he should have “been in a more institutional role”, but denied any offence had been committed.
He said the media attention the incident has attracted was “ridiculous”, adding that Hermoso never reproached him over the kiss at any point in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Rubiales resigned in September 2023 after FIFA suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation.
Three of his former colleagues are also on trial accused of colluding in the alleged coercion: Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the federation’s former head of marketing, and former sporting director, Albert Luque.
All four defendants deny the charges against them.
Prosecutors are seeking a two-and-half year jail term for Rubiales. The trial, which runs until February 19, continues.
BBC
