Kiss without consent
Prosecutors are demanding two and a half years in prison for Rubiales
March 27, 2024, 6:00 p.m
After the kissing scandal at the Women’s World Cup, the former Spanish association boss faces two and a half years in prison. The prosecution accuses him, among other things, of sexual assault. Rubiales’ transgression caused a storm of indignation around the world.
According to media reports, in the criminal trial surrounding the kissing scandal, the public prosecutor’s office has requested two and a half years in prison for the former Spanish football association president Luis Rubiales. He should also pay 50,000 euros in compensation to world champion Jennifer Hermoso, whom he kissed on the mouth at the award ceremony after winning the World Cup last summer, the newspapers “Mundo Deportivo”, “AS”, “Marca” and others reported Spanish media agreed, citing the judiciary.
A year in prison was requested for sexual aggression in the form of a non-consensual kiss and one and a half years in prison for coercion. The allegation of coercion relates to the fact that Rubiales and three other football officials put pressure on Hermoso to publicly declare that the kiss was consensual. For the three other football officials, one and a half years in prison were requested for coercion.
All four defendants together should also pay Hermoso a further total of 50,000 euros in compensation. Despite a request, there was initially no confirmation from the judiciary. A date for the oral hearing has not been announced. In Spain, prison sentences of up to two years are usually suspended. However, Rubiales also faces trouble in another case. He faces arrest when he returns from a stay abroad.
The background to this was an investigation into allegedly irregular contracts that were concluded during Rubiales’ five-year presidency of the RFEF football association, a spokesman for the judiciary in Madrid said when asked last Thursday. So far, there is no warrant for the arrest of the 46-year-old, whose lawyer announced that her client would return home from the Dominican Republic on April 6th. Rubiales has denied the allegations.