Spain’s ex-football boss Luis Rubiales fined for World Cup kiss

Spain’s former football federation boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and ordered to pay a fine of €10,800 (£8,942), Spain’s High Court has ruled.

He was acquitted of coercion, for allegedly trying to pressure Hermoso into saying publicly that the kiss was consensual.

As Spain’s players received their medals after defeating England in Sydney to win the 2023 World Cup, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips.

The incident triggered protests and calls for the resignation of Rubiales, who has said he will appeal against the verdict.

The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year, the court said in a statement.

Three of Rubiales’s former colleagues who were also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion – Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)’s former head of marketing, and Albert Luque, former sporting director – were cleared of those charges.

Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales, who last week told a court he was “absolutely sure” Hermoso had given her consent before he kissed her.

He described the kiss as an “act of affection”, adding that in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous”.

In her testimony earlier this month, Hermoso insisted that she had not given Rubiales permission and that the incident had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”.

Rubiales was accused of sexual assault and of trying to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss had been consensual.

The incident was witnessed by millions of television viewers and an entire stadium after the Spanish women’s team won the 2023 World Cup.

The ensuing uproar gave momentum to a “Me Too”-style movement in the Spanish women’s game, in which players sought to combat sexism and achieve parity with their male peers.

Rubiales resigned in September 2023 following weeks of resisting pressure to stand down, and after Fifa suspended him and Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation.