Madrid (AFP) – Spanish soccer player Jenni Hermoso reiterated before a judge that the kiss she received from the then president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, was “at no time consensual” and that she later suffered pressure to come to her defense.
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The international player, who has just signed for the Mexican club Tigres Femenil, arrived shortly before 10:00 a.m. (09:00 GMT), on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at the National Court in Madrid. Smiling, she made a brief gesture of greeting to the press gathered in front of the building.
Initially scheduled for November 28, the expected statement by Hermoso, who denounced Luis Manuel Rubiales in September for the forced kiss he gave him after Spain's victory in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in August, was delayed due to issues of diary.
“Everything is now in the hands of justice and that's as far as I can say,” the player told the press as she left the court.
Before the judge investigating the case, Hermoso reiterated that the kiss was “unexpected” and “at no time consensual,” according to judicial sources.
The player also indicated that she suffered “constant harassment” from Rubiales and her surroundings in the days that followed, which “altered her normal life, causing her to feel uneasy and sad,” according to the same source.
Judge Francisco de Jorge opened an investigation in September against Rubiales for the alleged crimes of “sexual assault” and “coercion”, also for the alleged pressure on Hermoso and his entourage.
Shortly after, the magistrate summoned the former leader to testify as under investigation and imposed a prohibition on him from approaching less than 200 meters from the player as a precautionary measure.
Three other people – including the former women's Red team coach, Jorge Vilda – are also being investigated for alleged pressure.
Following a recent reform of the Spanish Penal Code, a non-consensual kiss can be considered sexual assault, a criminal category that groups together all types of sexual violence. According to sources from the Prosecutor's Office, the penalties to which Rubiales could be exposed range from a fine to four years in prison.
International controversy
The conduct of the then president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), on August 20 at the Sydney stadium, caused a wave of international indignation.
Rubiales, 46, initially refused to resign for what he claimed had been a “consensual” kiss, and in a controversial speech five days later he accused a supposed “false feminism,” assuring that he had the authorization of the player to kiss her.
A version denied shortly after by Jenni Hermoso, who claimed to have felt “vulnerable and victim of aggression” when she received the kiss, which in her opinion was about:
An impulsive, sexist act, out of place and without any type of consent
Under pressure, Rubiales ended up resigning on September 10, regretting being the victim of a “disproportionate” campaign. He was later suspended for three years from all football-related activity by FIFA, a decision that he, he announced, would appeal.
Jenni Hermoso, 33, despite herself, became a symbol of the fight for equality between men and women, and was chosen woman of 2023 by the Spanish edition of the American magazine GQ.
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