by Mick the Ram

Exactly 18 months on from the Women’s World Cup Final, the former Spanish Football Federation boss Luis Rubiales has received a guilty verdict of sexual assault, a charge which came about after the 47-year-old year-old kissed one of his players on the lips at the end of the game.

The incident occurred during the medal ceremony following Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney and the court heard how Rubiales kissed Jenni Hermoso full on the lips, crucially without her consent.

The High Court ordered him to pay a fine of €10,800 (£8,942), and banned him from communicating with or going within a 200m radius of Ms Hermoso, for one year.

He was however acquitted of an accompanying charge of coercive behaviour, to the disappointment of prosecutors who had been seeking a two-and-a-half-year jail term for Rubiales.

Seen by millions

There was great excitement and celebrating as the Spanish players received their medals following their World Cup win, and in front of a packed stadium and live TV audience, Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips.

Giving evidence, Rubiales told the court he was “absolutely sure” Hermoso had given her consent before he kissed her.

“Error of Judgement”

He described the kiss as an “act of affection”, adding that in the moment it was “something completely spontaneous.”

The former boss acknowledged that he had made an error of judgment and tried to explain it by saying: “I behaved like a sportsperson, like I was one of the team, when I should have been more cold-blooded and adopted a more institutional role.”

Hunger strike in support

Rubiales denied trying to coerce Hermoso into making a statement playing down the incident, saying he had suggested they make a joint statement to calm the situation. Hermoso had refused, but the federation still released a statement on her behalf.

In the aftermath of the incident, the mother of Rubiales, Angeles Bejar, locked herself in a church in her home town of Motril, telling everyone that she was on hunger strike and insisting she would continue with the stance indefinitely, until people stopped what she felt was a “witch-hunt” against her son.

Resignation and ban

Rubiales was forced to resign in September 2023 following weeks of resisting pressure to stand down, and after Fifa suspended him.

He was subsequently banned for three years from all football activity in October 2023, a ruling which was upheld on appeal in January 2024.

It was a huge fall from grace for him after being one of the most senior people in football and a senior vice-president at UEFA.

Stain on “happiest day”

In her testimony, Ms Hermoso insisted that she had not given Rubiales permission and that the incident had “stained one of the happiest days of my life”.

She added: “My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting; a kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so.”

Judge slams the accused

The judge, José Manuel Clemente Fernández-Prieto, in summing up noted that Rubiales had congratulated other members of the victorious team by hugging them and kissing them on the cheek, before stating: “This action of kissing a woman on the lips has a clear sexual connotation and is not the way people greet those with whom they are not in an emotional relationship.”

A further release from the court said that the judge had analysed the crime of sexual assault and found that in this case it had been committed by “carrying out in a surprising way, an act that violates the sexual freedom of another person without the consent of the assaulted.”

No coercive behaviour

The court did however, acquit him of coercion along with three of his former colleagues who were also on trial, accused of colluding in the alleged coercion.

Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup-winning side, Rubén Rivera, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)’s former head of marketing, and Albert Luque, former sporting director, were all cleared of the charges.

Appeal pending

Ms Hermoso will in all probability be disappointed by the court imposing on Rubiales an 18-month fine, which equated to just €20 a day, considering his annual salary when at the federation was €675,000.

His lawyer has confirmed that he will be exercising his right to appeal the sentence before the same court, something he must lodge within 10 days.