Evening Standard
·20 February 2025
Luis Rubiales found guilty of kissing Jenni Hermoso without her consent after World Cup Final
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Evening Standard
·20 February 2025
Rubiales order to pay £8,274 fine but acquitted of coercion
Former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent after the Women's World Cup Final in 2023.
Spain's High Court has ordered Rubiales to pay a fine of €10,000 (£8,274) but has acquitted him of coercion.
Hermoso previously told the Rubiales trial in Madrid that she “never” agreed to him kissing her on the lips after Spain beat England in Sydney.
Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence for Rubiales, who denied the charges, and claimed the kiss was consensual and happened in a “moment of jubilation”.
Rubiales, 47, was accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the mouth. He was also accused - along with three other former soccer federation officials - of attempting to then coerce her into saying the kiss was consensual.
"The ruling bans Rubiales from going within a 200-meter radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year," the court said in a statement.
Rubiales described the kiss as an “act of affection” and said in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous”.