Disgraced ex-football chief guilty of sexual assault over infamous World Cup kiss

Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of kissing a star player without consent after the Women’s World Cup final in 2023.

Former football chief Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of kissing Jenni Hermoso without consent after the Women’s World Cup final in 2023.

The former Spanish FA boss, has been ordered to pay a fine of over £8,000 bringing the “Kissgate” scandal to an end but has dodged jail, reports The Sun.

Spain’s High Court convicted Rubiales guilty of sexual assault at the 2023 World Cup final in Sydney, where Spain defeated England.

Then-president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales kissed Jennifer Hermoso of Spain during the medal ceremony of FIFA Women's World Cup final between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Noemi Llamas/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

The court set a fine of over €10,000 ($16,360) but acquitted him and the three other accused in the case of the charge of coercion.

Prosecutors had sought a prison term of two-and-a-half years for Rubiales.

Rubiales has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting the kiss was a “peck between friends celebrating.”

A statement from the court said: “The ruling bans Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year.”

Earlier this month, Hermoso took the stand at Madrid’s Audiencia Nacional court, and described how Rubiales grabbed her head and kissed her without consent staining “one of the happiest days of my life.”

“I didn’t hear or understand anything,” she told the court.

“The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth.

“I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting.

“A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so.”

She added: “As a woman, I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life.”

He has been found guilty but avoided jail. Picture: Oscar Del Pozo/AFP

The court also heard that just hours after the kiss, Rubiales and his aides allegedly pressured Hermoso to declare it was consensual to contain the growing backlash.

She was called off the team bus at Sydney’s stadium and shown a statement she was expected to sign.

Hermoso recalled breaking down in tears as pressure mounted on her to publicly downplay the incident.

The Spanish footballer told the court: “I skim-read it and said and knew I hadn’t written a word of it.

“It was a statement I had supposedly drafted myself and consented to being put out to fan the flames of the fuss that was being created by the kiss.

“The statement said Luis Rubiales and I were good friends and the kiss happened in the effusiveness of the moment. I said I didn’t agree to it going out.”

Spanish footballer Jennifer Hermoso. Picture: Thomas Coex/AFP

The kiss sparked outrage across the world as FIFA suspended Rubiales, who initially refused to resign and branded the controversy as a “witch hunt by fake feminism.”

Following Spain’s win at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, during celebrations, Rubiales kissed the team’s Jenni Hermoso without her consent.

Striker Hermoso lodged a sexual assault complaint in person at the State Attorney-General’s Office.

She described the kiss as ‘’an impulsive, sexist act, out of place and without any type of consent on my part.’’

He eventually resigned in September 2023 following backlash sparked by the scandal.

Rubiales was banned for three years from all football activity in October 2023 over his conduct at the World Cup final in Sydney, which was upheld on appeal in January 2024.

FIFA said at the time the appeal was upheld: “FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld.”

The incident also sparked national protests in Spain calling for “a sport free of sexist violence”.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Disgraced ex-football chief guilty of sexual assault over infamous World Cup kiss