Members of the National Team of Spain have testified this week in a Madrid court as the trial about the forced kiss of Luis Rubiales on Jenni Hermoso starts during the World Cup affinale of 2023.
Rubiales, the former president of the Royal Spanish football federation, is accused of sexual violence and coercion when he kissed Hermoso, one of the members of the World Cup winning team, during the trophy presentation in Sydney, Australia. Hermoso, her teammates and family members have described the event as a “spot” on another important occasion and also described a campaign to keep her still in the hours after the incident.
Public prosecutors claim that Rubiales must be locked up for sexual violence for a year and another 18 months for coercion.
How did the controversy start?
Hermoso was congratulated by various dignitaries when they picked up the medal from her world cup winner on 20 August 2023, when Rubiales kissed her by violently. Almost immediately, the incident worldwide led indignation of members of the women’s football community and many outside, also in Spain.
Many called for the resignation of rubiales, especially when considering the accusations of sexism and poor working conditions that Spain Women’s National Team players had raised the previous year at the Federation. Rubiales was suspended by FIFA on 26 August 2023 and he eventually resigned on 10 September, although legal consequences for his actions have since been called to him. He was also briefly held by the Spanish authorities in April 2024 with regard to an investigation into corruption at the federation during his time as president.
Jorge Vilda, the head coach of the World Cup-winning team of Spain, was also a central figure in the controversy. He was fired on 5 September 2023, almost a year after he was accused of promoting a toxic workplace, and he and Rubiales were allies during that tumultuous time.
What was said in court?
Hermoso testified on Monday and described the events of the incident, as well as Rubiales’s attempt to save the face in the coming days.
“I greeted the queen, I greeted her daughter,” said Hermoso, remembering the trophy ceremony, Per BBC. “The following was to meet rubiales. The next thing he did was grab me by the ears and kiss me on my mouth. I have not heard or understood anything. A kiss on the lips is only given if I decide.”
The player said that her teammates mock her for the first time for the incident, but defender Irene Paredes put an end to it. Hermoso also said that she was later asked to give permission for a statement from the Federation, which she refused to do, and that Rubiales also asked her to record a video that trivialized the incident. Hermoso’s brother, Rafael, added that Vilda put him under pressure to talk to his sister while everyone went back to Spain.
“We were talking about football and reaching the team and suddenly he called the kiss,” he said, Per ESPN. “He said the president wanted me to talk to Jenni to ask her to record the video together to trivialize the kiss, because that would be the best for everyone. I told him I would not try to convince her To do something to do something I don’t agree. “
Paredes remembered the treatment that her teammate was confronted with federation officials in the days after the World Cup final. Alexia Putellas, another international in Spain, said that the shock of the incident was going after a festive trip to Ibiza.
“She was already very overwhelmed on the plane and told us they would not leave her alone, they would not stop,” said Paredes, Per ESPN.
The incident took his toll on Hermoso, Paredes noted.
“Jenni was worried, she was upset,” she added. “I saw her crying when she told us this, because it was a problem that weighed on her and what she wanted was to celebrate the triumph that we had just reached.”
Hermoso added that “nobody came to ask me how I was” after the kiss and that she felt “completely abandoned by the federation”, who spoke “one of the happiest days of my life.”
“There was no place for me to cry or lie in the corner of the dressing room.”