Luis Rubiales punished for kissing a female footballer unwillingly

2025-02-20 17:08:00, Sport CNA

Spain's Supreme Court has found former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault over an incident that occurred during the medal ceremony at the 2023 Women's World Cup final. The incident, which followed Spain's historic victory over England, sparked a global outcry and sparked a wide-ranging debate about the culture of inequality and abuse of power in sport.

Rubiales was fined 10,800 euros and banned from all contact with Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso for a period of one year. In addition, he must maintain a distance of at least 200 meters from her. The court, however, found him not guilty of the charge of coercion, which related to alleged attempts to persuade Hermoso to publicly state that the kiss had been consensual.

The incident occurred during the celebrations of the Spanish team's triumph in the World Cup final, held in Sydney, Australia. During the medal ceremony, Rubiales grabbed Hermosa by the head and kissed her on the lips without her consent. The act caused strong reactions, both in Spain and internationally.

After the incident, Rubiales faced a wave of protests and calls for his resignation. Initially, he refused to leave his post, describing what happened as a “spontaneous moment” and a “sign of love and joy.” He even defended his action by claiming that he had received Hermoso’s approval. However, the footballer categorically denied this version, stressing that she had not given her consent and that Rubiales’s action had ruined the most important day of her career.

The scandal led to strong reactions from players, coaches, and important figures in sports and politics. Many of the Spanish national team players refused to play for the team until significant changes were made to the Spanish Football Federation. The huge public and international pressure forced Rubiales to resign from his post as president of the Federation in September 2023.

Meanwhile, national team coach Jorge Vilda, a close ally of Rubiales, was dismissed from his post shortly after the incident. Vilda, along with two other former Spanish Football Federation officials, Rubén Rivera and Albert Luke, were accused of colluding in an attempt to force Hermoson to change her version of events. However, all three were acquitted by the court.

While prosecutors had requested a prison sentence for Rubiales, the court decided to impose only a financial fine.