A prosecutor at Spain's High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former football federation (RFEF) chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso. The court documents revealed that Rubiales has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss.
The incident occurred on August 20 last year during the awards ceremony after Spain's victory in the Women's World Cup in Sydney. Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips, which she and her teammates described as unwanted and demeaning. Rubiales, however, claimed the kiss was consensual.
In addition to Rubiales, the prosecutor also accused former coach Jorge Vilda, current sporting director Albert Luque, and head of marketing Rubén Rivera of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual. They each face 18 months sentences if convicted.
The prosecutor seeks to have Rubiales pay €50,000 in damages to Hermoso, with an additional €50,000 to be jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque, and Rivera. A restraining order is also requested, barring Rubiales from coming within 200 meters of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested, Rubiales may not necessarily go to prison as Spain's criminal code allows judges to suspend jail terms if none of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Rubiales is also embroiled in a separate corruption probe related to the RFEF agreeing to move the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. Despite denying any wrongdoing, Rubiales has been under investigation since June 2022. Last week, police searched the federation's headquarters and an apartment belonging to Rubiales, resulting in the arrest of seven individuals.
While Rubiales was in the Dominican Republic during the searches, his lawyers informed the judge that he would return on April 6 to cooperate with the investigation.
