It opens today, at theNational Court di San Fernando de Henares (Madrid), the trial against Luis rubiales, former president of Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), accused of sexual assault and intimidation to the detriment of the footballer Beautiful Jenny.
The disputed episode dates back to August 20th, 2023, during the award ceremony of the Women's World Cup a Sydney, when Rubiales kissed Hermoso on the lips without her consent. The charge also concerns the pressures exerted subsequently on the Spanish striker so that she would publicly declare that she had consented.
The first hearing began at 10:00, with the testimony of Beautiful Jenny, considered a symbol of the fight against sexism in sport in Spain. Rubiales, 47, faces up to two and a half years in prison, as requested by the prosecution. The proceedings also involve Jorge Vilda (former coach of the women's national team), ruben rivera (RFEF Marketing Director) and Albert Luque (sports director of the team), all accused of intimidation against Hermoso, his friends and his family to push her to recant.
The prosecution has requested for them a year and a half in prison and a fine of 100.000 eurosThe defendants will be questioned on 12 February, while the trial, conducted by the judge Jose Manuel Clemente, it will end the 19 February, after the hearing of 27 witnesses, including some of Hermoso's teammates, including Alexia putellas (two-time Ballon d'Or winner), and the coaches of the men's and women's national teams.
The accusations: “A non-consensual kiss and continuous pressure”
In the referral to trial, theNational Court established that “the kiss on the mouth was not consensual” and that Rubiales gave it “by surprise and without the consent and acceptance of the footballer”. Furthermore, there have been documented “constant and repeated pressure” on Hermoso and his family to declare the kiss as a friendly and consensual gesture. Jenni Hermoso, who currently plays for the Mexican club Tigres, returned to Spain to take part in the trial, which is set to mark a turning point in the fight against discrimination and gender violence in football.
Article published on 3 February 2025 - 13:51
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The Rubiales case seems to have significant implications for the issue of consent in football. It is important that this situation is shed light on to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. I hope justice is done.