Spanish soccer chief faces prison time for unwanted kiss
In a shocking turn of events, former soccer chief Luis Rubiales is facing a prison term of two years and six months for giving an unwanted kiss to star forward Jennifer Hermoso after Spain’s World Cup victory.
The Public Ministry has formally accused Rubiales, the disgraced former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso “without consent or acceptance,” according to an indictment seen by CNN.
The kiss, which was televised globally, overshadowed a historic moment for Spain’s women’s team as they celebrated their first-ever World Cup win.
Rubiales, then president of the RFEF, was captured kissing Hermoso on the lips before slapping her twice on the back, sparking immediate global outcry over consent.
Despite claiming the kiss was “mutual,” Hermoso has strongly denied this, leading to Rubiales facing “excessive persecution” from authorities.
Prosecutors are not only seeking a prison sentence but also a supervised release for two years, a ban on communicating with Hermoso, and a restriction from coming within 200 meters of her for four years, along with $54,100 in compensation.
Additionally, former women’s soccer coach Jorge Vilda, Spanish national team director Albert Luque, and RFEF marketing director Rubén Rivera are accused of pressuring Hermoso to justify the kiss and are also required to compensate her with $54,100 each.
The unwanted kiss incident has sparked outrage across Spanish society, with politicians and sports stars condemning Rubiales’ actions and defending Hermoso.
This scandal has reignited conversations about “macho culture” in Spain and the ongoing protests against sexual violence and sexism in the country.
As the controversy continued, solidarity among Spain’s female players grew, leading to mass resignations of coaches and public statements of support for Hermoso.
Several soccer teams, both male and female, have shown their support for Hermoso at matches through various gestures, and World Cup-winning manager Vilda was removed from his role following inappropriate behavior during the Women’s World Cup Final.
