Kiss from Rubiales to Hermoso could earn him two and a half years in prison | International football

The Public Ministry asked for two and a half years in prison for the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion in the process of kissing player Jenni Hermoso, according to a document released this Wednesday.

Spanish prosecutors also requested sentences of one and a half years in prison for crimes of coercion for the former coach of the Spanish women’s football team Jorge Vilda, the former marketing director of the federation Rubén Rivera and the director of the men’s team, Albert Luque.

These requests for conviction were sent by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to the judge of the Spanish National Audience who supervised the investigation of the case and are being publicized this Wednesday by various media outlets in Spain.

In addition to a prison sentence, in the case of Luis Rubiales, prosecutors asked that the former president of the football federation be prohibited from working in the sporting field during the same period of the sentence.

Prosecutors also argued that Rubiales would be prohibited from contacting Jenni Hermoso or being within 200 meters of the player for four years.

In August last year, Luis Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso on the lips at the Sydney stadium, after the women’s football World Cup final, which Spain won.

Jenni Hermoso said that the kiss was not consensual and also complained of coercion from other directors of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the women’s team, who wanted the player to corroborate the different version about the kiss that Luis gave. Rubiales.

On January 25, the Spanish National Audience decided that the former president of the RFEF will go to trial for this case.

Judge Francisco de Jorge considered that the kiss in question was “not consensual” and that coach Jorge Vilda, who is also on trial, “exerted pressure” on Hermoso.

According to the judge, “the kiss was not consensual, it was a unilateral and surprise action”.

“The erotic purpose or not, as well as the state of euphoria and agitation that followed the extraordinary triumph, are elements whose consequences, or legal consequences, must be determined during the trial”, indicated the judge.

The argument was in this sense given Rubiales’ justifications, when he said that the situation occurred in a “moment of happiness, of great joy and in the moment”, rejecting any “sexual connotation”.

The judge understood that this kiss on the mouth “affects the sphere of intimacy, reserved for sexual relations between two adults”.

In addition to Luis Rubiales, the magistrate also decided to put on trial the director of the men’s team, Albert Luque, the former women’s coach Jorge Vilda and the former marketing director of the RFEF Rubén Rivera, for the “pressure” exerted on the player after the events.

Francisco de Jorge considered that there was a concerted action between the three, with the connivance of Luis Rubiales, “to break Jenni Hermoso’s will and make the player record a video stating that the kiss had been consented”.

After the events, Rubiales refused to resign as president of the federation, which he ended up doing on September 10th.

Because of this case, FIFA suspended Luis Rubiales for three years from all football-related activities.

Rubiales’ behavior also earned him the opening of disciplinary proceedings by the Spanish Administrative Sports Court, in addition to the court complaint filed by Jenni Hermoso.