The trial against Luis Rubiales, former president of the RFEF (Spanish Royal Football Federation) for the unwanted kiss she gave player Jenni Hermoso on August 20, 2023, after the FIFA Women's World Cup that Spain won over England, continues this week. After a first week with the examination of Hermoso and other witnesses, today was the first day where the suspects were questioned:
"I made a mistake, I admitted it. That, at this point, is obvious. I was wrong. From there, saying that there is a crime, as you say, it's not true at all", he said, acknowledging that he should have had a more "institutional" public image, but saying that it was consensual. "I asked her, 'can I give you a kiss?' and she said, 'Okay', that's what happened."
Rubiales also added that the kiss was simply a friendly gesture. "I don't grab her head so she can't get away. It's affectionate. After the kiss, she left laughing and patting me. It was never to satisfy a sexual desire", and said that he has also kissed male footballers (although he didn't explain if he kissed them on the lips).
Last week, during her statement at the trial, Hermoso denied that he ever asked her permission. "At that moment I neither understood nor heard anything. I did not see him gesture with his mouth any kind of question. She grabbed my head effusively", she recalled. "I couldn't respond at any point. It felt out of context, my boss was kissing me, and that doesn't happen, and shouldn't happen, in any social setting", she added, as reported by El País.
Rubiales is facing charges of sexual assault and coercion. Three other former Federation chiefs, Albert Luque, director of the team; Jorge Vilda, coach; and Rubén Rivera, chief of marketing, also face charges of coercion, and will testify tomorrow.